Labour Party National Vice President, South-West, Abayomi Arabambi, has identified former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the only serious challenger to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Arabambi made the assessment on Thursday during an appearance on TVC’s Politics Tonight, where he discussed the developing opposition landscape ahead of the poll.

According to the Labour Party chieftain, Atiku is currently the only opposition figure he believes has demonstrated the seriousness required to challenge the incumbent.

He said, “We have a sitting president that is one, and we have only one contender against the president.”

Arabambi, however, dismissed the possibility of Peter Obi contesting the presidential election, describing the former Anambra governor as more prominent for his public commentary than an active presidential bid.

He referred to Obi as the “chief content creator”, while also questioning the accuracy of statistics the former Labour Party presidential candidate uses when addressing national issues.

The Labour Party chieftain alleged that some figures previously cited by Obi had later proved inaccurate.

Arabambi further claimed that Obi was not preparing to contest the 2027 election, insisting that people within the opposition movement were aware of his position.

The Labour Party chieftain also weighed in on the debate over regional rotation of the presidency.

He argued that the presidency is currently zoned to the South and should remain there until the region completes an eight-year tenure.

Arabambi linked his argument to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, when Atiku contested after former President Muhammadu Buhari completed his eight years in office.

According to him, Nigerians ultimately chose Tinubu, who emerged from the South, instead of Atiku.

He maintained that the South should be allowed to complete its eight-year period before presidential power is transferred to another region.

Arabambi’s comments come amid continuing disagreements among opposition figures over economic policies and the direction of the 2027 contest.

One area of divergence is the issue of fuel subsidy removal, with Obi and Atiku holding different positions on how the policy should be handled.

The emerging disagreements have added to the wider political debate over the opposition’s strategy and the possibility of presenting a strong challenge to Tinubu in 2027.

For now, Arabambi maintains that Atiku is the only opposition figure positioned for a serious contest against the President.

His assessment, however, represents his political position and does not establish who will ultimately contest the 2027 presidential election or the strength of individual candidates at the polls.