A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, has said opposition parties have yet to demonstrate a credible strategy capable of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

Gagdi, who represents the Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency of Plateau State, made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he expressed confidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would retain power in the next presidential election.

According to the lawmaker, the APC has remained more politically active than any opposition party across the country, insisting that he has never envisaged the ruling party losing an election.

“You have seen APC’s activities in the last year across Nigeria. Our political activities are ten times the political activities of any opposition political party in Nigeria,” he said.

Questioning the preparedness of the opposition, Gagdi argued that the focus should not only be on whether President Tinubu and the APC are preparing for the 2027 polls but also on what opposition leaders are doing to mount a serious challenge.

“So who is supposed to talk to another person about planning to win an election? You think Bola Tinubu and the APC are not trying to win the 2027 elections? What is the opposition planning or doing?” he asked.

The APC lawmaker specifically mentioned former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying he had not seen any significant efforts by either politician to position themselves to defeat the president in 2027.

“I have not seen the activities of opposition you mentioned, Peter Obi or Atiku. I have not seen any effort being put in place by them to unseat or defeat the president come 2027,” he said.

Gagdi also criticised what he described as the politicisation of Nigeria’s security challenges by some opposition figures, warning that such an approach could undermine national unity and efforts to combat insecurity.

“By the time we keep drifting to a perspective of playing politics with the security and lives of the people of this country, it will be unfortunate. We must collectively be patriotic. We must be united against terror,” he said.

While acknowledging that constructive criticism of government is an essential part of democracy, the lawmaker maintained that such criticism should be driven by national interest rather than electoral ambitions.

He added that holding the government accountable is important but cautioned that criticism “should not be motivated by electoral calculations.”