Evenings in Abuja often arrive gently, the heat loosening its grip as generators hum and televisions glow behind curtained windows. Politics, here, rarely announces itself all at once. It settles into rooms, into conversations held low, into plans that move quietly while the city appears to rest. It is in this half-light that talk of 2027 has begun to surface—not as a declaration, but as a suggestion carried on measured words.
Aliyu Yilwatda, a minister and senior figure within Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress, recently offered such a suggestion. The party, he said, is already mobilizing behind the scenes, laying groundwork that may not yet be visible to the wider public. In contrast, he observed, opposition figures appear more present on television screens than in the slower, less visible work of political organization.
The remark lands softly but carries implication. Nigeria’s next general election remains distant on the calendar, yet close enough to shape behavior. For the APC, which has governed since 2015, early movement is framed as preparation rather than proclamation—party structures being tested, alliances quietly reaffirmed, and internal conversations held away from the cameras. The emphasis, according to Yilwatda, is not performance but process.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, occupy a different rhythm. Airtime is easier to measure than grassroots reach, and televised criticism travels faster than door-to-door persuasion. Yilwatda’s contrast suggests a familiar tension in Nigerian politics: visibility versus organization, voice versus machinery. It is not an accusation as much as a reading of posture, a sense of where energy is being spent.
The political landscape itself remains fluid. Nigeria continues to navigate economic pressures, security concerns, and public expectations shaped by recent elections. In such a climate, early mobilization can be read two ways—either as confidence or caution. Parties remember how quickly narratives shift, how alliances fray, and how momentum can vanish if not carefully sustained.
Yilwatda’s comments also reflect a broader truth about modern politics. Much of its work happens out of sight, in spreadsheets and strategy meetings, in the slow stitching together of interests. Television offers immediacy, but organization offers endurance. Neither guarantees victory, yet both reveal intent.
As night deepens and the screens eventually dim, the future remains unresolved. What is clear is that 2027 has already entered the room, not loudly, but persistently. One side claims to be moving quietly, the other speaking openly. Between the two approaches lies the familiar Nigerian question of whether power is shaped more by what is seen or by what is prepared long before the spotlight arrives.
AI Image Disclaimer Illustrations were created using AI tools and are not real photographs.
Sources Reuters Associated Press BBC News Al Jazeera Premium Times