Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said some presidential candidates in the 2027 general election are not contesting to win but to establish their political presence and make an impression.

Olayinka made the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Friday while assessing the political landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to him, the presence of 19 presidential candidates on the ballot does not mean that all the contenders have a realistic ambition of winning the election.

He said some candidates were participating primarily to register their presence, strengthen their political profile or gain visibility.

“So it is not everybody that contests elections that wants to win. There are people that contest elections just to register their presence.

“For instance, in this 2027 election, we have 19 presidential candidates. Can we say honestly that all the 19 are contesting with the mindset of winning? The answer is no,” Olayinka said.

He cited the performance of African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in the 2023 election as an example, questioning how a candidate who secured about 14,600 votes in the previous presidential election could realistically emerge victorious in 2027.

“For instance, the candidate of AAC, Omoyele Sowore, had 14,600 votes in 2023. How would that person win the election next year? They know that they cannot win.

“They are just contesting,” he said.

Olayinka also questioned the electoral prospects of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), the party associated with former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi.

He argued that the party’s limited presence across the states and its inability to field candidates in some recent elections could undermine its capacity to compete effectively in a nationwide presidential contest.

“Even NDC, the party of Peter Obi, they know they cannot win the election. They are just contesting to try to register their presence,” he said.

Olayinka stressed that winning a presidential election in Nigeria required more than public visibility or political rhetoric, arguing that a strong grassroots structure and nationwide election-day organisation were essential.

He pointed to the party’s absence from governorship contests in several states as an indication of what he described as its limited grassroots reach.

“You don’t have a governorship candidate in 15 states. You only have it in 13. There was an election in Ekiti and Osun recently.

“NDC did not field candidates. How do you win an election when you don’t have people on ground to canvass votes for you, to manage elections for you?” he asked.

The Wike aide further argued that political parties must have sufficient personnel at polling units to effectively mobilise voters, monitor the voting process and manage election-day operations.

He noted that Nigeria has 176,846 polling units and estimated that a party would require at least five agents or personnel at each polling unit to effectively manage its operations during an election.

“In Nigeria today, there are 176,846 polling units. To make good impression on election day, you need at least five people to manage each polling unit for you.

“At least. You need five people. We have done elections before, so we know what it is.

“It is not about making noise,” Olayinka said.