AKPABIO PREDICTS RIGGING CLAIMS AFTER TINUBU’S RE-ELECTION

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday predicted that opposition parties would allege electoral fraud if President Bola Tinubu wins re-election in the 2027 general election.

Speaking while receiving members of the City Boy Movement, a pro-Tinubu support group, at the National Assembly in Abuja, Akpabio urged members to intensify grassroots mobilisation and voter education ahead of the polls.

“They are not doing the same. But when the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be announced, you will hear people saying it is rigged. That they did this, they did that. Ignore all those things and remain focused,” he said.

Akpabio described the City Boy Movement as a growing political force capable of strengthening the ruling party’s electoral presence across the country.

“The City Boy Movement is like a wind blowing across the nation. You may not see it, but you can feel it,” he said.

He said the movement would help ensure the All Progressives Congress (APC) had representatives at every polling unit during the 2027 elections, adding that this would help safeguard the party’s votes.

“In the last election, if your movement had existed, many of our votes that were not counted in many polling units would have been counted,” he said.

The Senate President also urged young members of the group to see their political involvement as preparation for future leadership, encouraging them to shun cultism, drug abuse and other forms of criminality.

He pledged the National Assembly’s support for youths engaged in what he described as constructive political participation and nation-building.

Earlier, Francis Shoga, director-general of the City Boy Movement, said the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between the organisation and the National Assembly as it expands its activities ahead of the next general election.

Nigeria’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2027, with political parties already stepping up consultations and mobilisation despite the campaign season yet to officially begin.