Research Professor at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Femi Otubanjo, has said President Bola Tinubu has a stronger political record to campaign on ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Otubanjo, who spoke on Arise News on Monday, said Tinubu’s long political career and experience gave voters a record against which to assess his performance.

He said Tinubu had been a major force in Nigerian politics since 1978, had helped presidents win elections and had introduced policies which, in his view, were improving the economy.

On Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, Otubanjo argued that his campaign had not sufficiently presented a broader national proposition.

“What is Obi selling beyond the fact that he represents the aspiration of the South-East? That is all,” he said.

Otubanjo said Obi’s aspiration was strong but argued that the former Anambra State governor needed to present a clearer case for how he would make Nigeria better.

On the wider 2027 contest, the professor said governors supporting Tinubu would play a significant role in his re-election campaign because of their influence over state and local government structures.

He said Tinubu currently had 31 governors behind him, while identifying the South-East, Rivers, Oyo and some other areas as possible exceptions.

Otubanjo also predicted that Tinubu would win Kaduna and most North-Central states, but cautioned that election outcomes could not be predicted with certainty.

“Elections are not scientific,” he said, stressing that projections were based on past results and present circumstances.