With the 100-day countdown to Nigeria’s 2027 general election, there are signals that the poll might be marred by voter-apathy.

With the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) kicking off the display of the National Register of Voters (NRV) and the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) last Friday, indications from various states show low voter turnout at the Ward/Registration Area levels.

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The INEC, however, attributed the low turnout to the exercise being in its opening day and expressed optimism that there would be an improvement with time.

While the exercise began smoothly and peacefully in many states, eligible voters in Umuahia, Abia State, expressed anger and disappointment over their inability to collect their PVCs following the absence of INEC officials at some designated collection centres.

The exercise followed an announcement by the Commission that PVCs are now ready for collection.

The INEC in inviting the public to the exercise declared, “Registered in 2025? Your PVC is now ready for collection. The cards are available for fresh registrants, transfers, replacements, and those who carried out information updates or reviews in 2025. Voters from previous registration exercises can also collect theirs.

“If you registered, requested a transfer, or applied for a replacement of a lost or damaged PVC during the first phase, your PVC will be available for collection.”

It added that “Uncollected PVCs from previous voter registration exercises will also be available.”

Collection at the Registration Areas (RAs) runs from Friday, October 9, to Thursday, October 15, 2026, between the hours of 9am to 3pm. From Friday, October 16, 2026, it moved to the Local Government Areas LGAs.

In the same period, the Commission said, “From Friday, 9th to Thursday, 15th October 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC will display the National Register of Voters for public scrutiny at all Registration Areas nationwide.”

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has predicted that President Tinubu will defeat his major challengers by a wide margin in the 2027 presidential election.

Bwala made the prediction on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the political strength of the Tinubu administration and the state of the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the margin of victory for Tinubu would be so wide that Nigerians would be surprised.

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“Let me tell you, and let me say it categorically, and I’ll be happy to come back. The margin of gap that President Bola Tinubu will give each and every one of these candidates will be so much that you won’t believe it,” Bwala said.

Explaining the basis for his prediction, Bwala pointed to the number of governors he said had aligned with the president, arguing that governors control important political structures within their respective states.

“No, I am saying—you asked me to give data now. So this is data. You used to conjecture, I speak to data,” he said.

“Since then, President Bola Tinubu has got how many governors on his side? How many governors have joined him? The governors are the chief executive officers of their respective states. They coordinate the structures of the state. They won their own election to be governors.”

Bwala said the support of the governors would translate into political structures, resources and goodwill for Tinubu ahead of the election.

“These people say, ‘We are putting our goodwill, our resources, our structure, and our support to the President.’ You multiply that by the number of people that have come to him, then you stretch it further by the people who are impacted positively by his… what do you call it? By his policy,” he added.

The presidential aide also cited what he described as progress under Tinubu since 2023.

“Then you look at how his… Before he became President, the Naira… you couldn’t trade with the Naira around the world. You can do it now!” he said.

“So these are facts, verifiable data to suggest that President Bola from 2023 to now has made a marked progress.”

Bwala Claims Atiku, Obi Have Lost Key Supporters

Bwala also turned his attention to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who are among the prominent opposition figures expected to feature prominently in the 2027 presidential contest.

He claimed Atiku had lost a significant number of key political figures who previously worked with him.

“But in terms of the other candidates who said he will not win: Atiku Abubakar lost close to 35% of key people that you know around him,” Bwala said.

“All the governors that worked for him that time are not going to be with him, I need you to know that in case you don’t know.”
Bwala also claimed Obi had lost most of the critical figures who supported his 2023 presidential campaign.

“Peter Obi lost 75% of the critical people that carried his campaign—they’ve all disappeared,” he said.

“And some of them went to Atiku, some of them went wherever they could go to. In terms of the other candidate, they just came to mark presence there.”

‘They Lost the Election Already’

Bwala further accused some opposition politicians of displaying what he described as a “defeatist attitude” ahead of the 2027 election.

“But I’m talking of these people that you think they are making a case—what they have is what we call defeatist attitude,” he said.

“How can you in one breath say you’re winning election, and in another breath you’re already threatening Nigeria will be… there will be no Nigeria, there will be all those things?”

He added: “Even the talking points of their campaign will suggest to you that they’ve lost the victory. They lost the election already.”

Bwala Defends Tinubu’s Policies

The presidential aide also defended the administration’s policies, arguing that they were improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly those in the informal sector.

“See, how can our policy… Our policy is raising a lot of people from the doldrums,” Bwala said.

“Look at the people in the informal sector of the economy, the women… You need to see—some of these your news media have been covering it.”

He also questioned the level of engagement some opposition politicians had with ordinary Nigerians before becoming prominent political figures.

“In terms of these people you’ve mentioned, tell me the last time they were actively involved in caring about the internal… When was the last time Amechi, before today, before he was made Vice President, that he had any engagement with the masses?” he asked.

“So you can come overnight, immediately, and just start talking?”

Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has said he would bring the price of petrol down to about ₦300 per litre if elected president in the 2027 general election.

Duke disclosed this on Wednesday while explaining his proposed approach to crude oil production and domestic fuel supply.

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When asked about the realistic price of petrol under his presidency, the former Cross River State governor said his target would be to reduce the pump price to about ₦300 per litre.

“To bring it to about 300 Naira. I’ve told you… it sounds so outlandish, but I’ve given you the arithmetic,” Duke said.

He explained that his proposal would be based on allocating a portion of Nigeria’s crude oil production for domestic consumption and selling the remaining volume.

According to him, if the country’s daily consumption requires 600,000 barrels, that volume would be allocated for domestic use, while the remaining one million barrels would be sold.

“Because I allocate 600,000 barrels if that’s what you consume daily. Allocate that to yourself. The other one million, you can sell,” he said.

His proposal comes as the cost of petrol remains a major issue in Nigeria, with fuel prices having significant implications for transportation, businesses and household expenses.

Duke is seeking the presidency on the platform of the PRP in the 2027 general election.