2027 warning: Falana, Adams fear one-candidate presidential poll
By: Abudu Olalekan
This week in Lagos, during a tribute speech, Femi Falana plus Gani Adams spoke without holding back. If judges go on interfering in political party matters, they said, the 2027 vote might wind up featuring just a single name for president. Not stopping there, both men stressed how dangerous that path really is.
Hold on a moment. There is no actual option here. Only a single name ever comes up.
At the fifth Comrade Yinka Odumakin Memorial Lecture inside the Airport Hotel, voices rose one after another. Joe Ajaero, leading the NLC, sat alongside others who’ve made noise in different fights. Omoyele Sowore, from Sahara Reporters, was present – his presence just one thread in a wider weave. Lawyer Olumide Fusika added his tone to the mix, calm but clear. Familiar faces filled the space, each carrying weight from years of pushing back. Not everyone spoke loud, yet their silence still meant something. The air carried history without needing to name it.
Falana spoke plainly, as he often does. Inside jobs against political groups – court rulings fueling chaos – are what he sees unfolding. The ADC’s current turmoil illustrates his point well enough. A recent appellate decision sits right at the heart of that confusion. That judgment? It froze everything mid-motion.
“Through the manipulation of Nigerian courts and senior lawyers,” he said, “you may have only one candidate contesting the presidential election in this country. If that happens, Nigeria may not even need to spend money on a presidential election.”
It isn’t merely some dull detail he’s focused on. What worries him is how this might destroy democracy itself. When folks believe their vote means nothing, trouble follows close behind. Instead of grumbling, his point pushes toward action – groups must rise up, workers should join, ordinary people too. The moment demands movement, not murmurs.
Folks who know Gani Adams recognize him as Aare Ona Kakanfo, and he stood firmly behind the man. What’s unfolding now reminds him of a gradual takeover – courts pulling strings to quiet dissent, nudging things step by step into single-party rule.
“We are moving towards a one-party system,” he warned. “Those in power are using the judiciary to suppress the will of the people. We may end up having only one presidential candidate in Nigeria if care is not taken.”
A prickly truth surfaced when he spoke on silence. Not speaking up, simply because your people hold control now, risks future harm – power shifts, after all. What feels safe today may turn dangerous later, since oppressive methods ignored in others’ time can return differently shaped, aimed straight at you.
One thing stood clear – the talk reached beyond 2027. Falana spent time unpacking what real change might look like. Power shifts aren’t waiting; they’re unfolding right now – just not toward citizens. Instead, those in office, particularly state governors, are pulling authority closer. Noticeable over decades, control from the center has grown stronger. The list of powers held solely by the national government keeps expanding, far past earlier counts.
He also called out the hypocrisy: “Electricity, railways and prisons were removed from the Exclusive List, but how many states have generated electricity, built rail lines or established prisons? None.”
Fusika spoke up first, warning that rising insecurity could push the nation off course. Then came Ajaero, pointing out how power stays locked in one place while most people get left behind – better to spread it through regional control and local forces, though change needs planning, never rash moves. Others added their voices too, uneasy about where things are headed. Sowore cut through with his usual bluntness: under Tinubu, the country isn’t just drifting – it’s being steered into upheaval.
A signal came through strong from behind those closed doors. Not merely some courtroom debate, the courts diving into political matters strikes at the heart of what happens in 2027. Stability itself might hang in the balance because of it.
