The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed optimism that the political circumstances that produced Peter Obi’s victory in Lagos State during the 2023 presidential election could pave the way for another upset in the 2027 general election.
Geographic Reference
Bamofin Ladipo Johnson, the NDC senatorial candidate for Lagos Central, said the party is building structures across the State to consolidate the political momentum generated by Obi’s 2023 performance.
Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, defeated the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, a result that challenged the long-standing perception of the state as a stronghold of the political establishment associated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Johnson said the outcome demonstrated that Lagos voters are willing to move beyond traditional political loyalties when presented with an alternative they consider credible.
According to him, the NDC is seeking to build on that changing political consciousness ahead of the 2027 election by establishing structures at the ward and polling-unit levels across the State.
He said the party has also sustained engagement with residents through community outreach, online town hall meetings and voter education, adding that the activities have helped the party understand the concerns of different groups.
Johnson said the NDC has mapped the priorities of market women, artisans, professionals, entrepreneurs and young voters to develop messages targeted at their specific socio-economic concerns.
He said the party’s confidence is also driven by the economic challenges confronting Nigerians, including rising food prices, transportation costs, inflation and pressure on household incomes.
According to him, many voters are increasingly concerned about economic opportunities and effective governance rather than partisan loyalty.
Government
Johnson said the NDC would campaign on production-driven economic policies, fiscal discipline and investment in human capital, which he described as alternatives to the direction of the current administration. He also pointed to Lagos’ changing demographics as another factor that could influence the 2027 contest.
The NDC candidate said the State’s expanding population had produced a diverse electorate comprising young professionals, entrepreneurs, students, skilled workers and residents from different parts of the country.
He argued that many of these voters are less influenced by traditional patronage networks and more concerned about employment, infrastructure, transparency and accountability.
Johnson said the NDC is positioning itself as a “Third Way” in Nigerian politics, with a focus on inclusion, equity and institutional reforms.
He added that women, young people and non-indigenous residents would form a major part of the party’s mobilisation strategy in Lagos.
On electoral integrity, Johnson said the NDC is developing a vote protection strategy that would involve the recruitment and training of polling agents across Lagos Central.
He said the agents would be trained not only to monitor voting but also to understand electoral procedures and respond appropriately to irregularities within the law.
Johnson further disclosed that the party plans to deploy decentralised real-time reporting systems through mobile applications, enabling polling agents and voters to transmit election updates, video evidence and polling-unit results to a central situation room.
He said the party would also collaborate with civil society organisations, election observers and legal practitioners to monitor compliance with electoral laws and pursue documented infractions through lawful channels.
The NDC candidate urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to maintain neutrality, protect voters and ensure transparency in the electoral process.
Johnson argued that the credibility of the 2027 election would depend largely on the willingness of electoral and security institutions to discharge their constitutional responsibilities without bias.
He maintained that the 2023 result in Lagos should not be viewed as an isolated political event, but as evidence of an evolving electorate capable of breaking with established voting patterns.
Whether that political shift can be sustained into 2027, however, remains one of the major questions surrounding the contest for Lagos.
With the APC retaining a strong political structure across the State and opposition parties seeking to convert voter dissatisfaction into electoral gains, Lagos is once again expected to be one of the country’s most closely watched political battlegrounds.
For the NDC, Johnson said, the objective is to consolidate support among young voters, professionals, business owners, non-indigenous residents and dissatisfied members of established political parties.
He expressed optimism that the coalition could produce another upset if effectively mobilised ahead of the 2027 presidential election.