Human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has explained why he would prefer President Bola Tinubu to Peter Obi if both men face each other in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, Adeyanju clarified that his stance is not rooted in loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC), but in his personal convictions about democracy, tolerance, and political conduct.
“Why would somebody like me support the APC? Support the APC for what? If the opposition presents Peter Obi, I will vote Tinubu.
“This is because we cannot have a situation where, a man whose supporters cannot tolerate criticism, call people all sorts of names.
“Anybody who does not support their candidate is an enemy of Nigeria. Anybody that does not support the candidate has been paid, has been compromised in supporting the government.”
Rejecting claims that he was working with the APC to weaken the opposition, Adeyanju maintained that his political choices had always been consistent and independent. He cited his voting record as evidence, noting that he had supported candidates across party lines in past elections.
“I have never voted for a bad candidate in my view. In 1999, I voted for Obasanjo. In 2011, I voted for Goodluck Jonathan. In 2015, I voted for Jonathan again because I couldn’t support Buhari, and in 2023, I voted for Omoyele Sowore,” he said.
Adeyanju stressed that his opposition to Obi stems largely from the behaviour of some of Obi’s supporters during the 2023 elections. He accused them of resorting to online attacks and intimidation of dissenting voices.
“What we are saying is that we must sanitise our polity, that we cannot have a country where people who terrorise others who do not appreciate that people have their rights.
“Look at what they did to Joke Silva during the election. They had artists and Nollywood people supporting them. Nobody terrorised those people.
“But they terrorised that woman, and other people, because she decided to support Tinubu in the last election. People have the right, I have the right.”
While acknowledging that Obi’s candidacy initially “excited” him, particularly as it represented an opportunity for the South-East to aspire to the presidency, Adeyanju said his enthusiasm waned as the campaign unfolded.
“The idea of Obi’s candidacy excited me because the South-East has not produced a president since independence,” he said, adding that he eventually grew uncomfortable with aspects of the movement.
Recounting his history of activism, Adeyanju insisted that his fight has always been about defending democracy and free expression, often at great personal cost.
“We have put our lives on the line for this country, for the preservation of democracy, at personal expense of prosecution. What kind of charges have we not faced in this country? At the time, I was almost charged with terrorism. They’ve charged me for all kinds of offences in this country,” he said.
He further clarified that his criticism of Obi should not be mistaken for partisanship, reiterating his commitment to issue-based politics.
“Because we cannot have a situation in our country or in our polity where political extremism becomes the order of the day. And Nigerians are living witnesses to the things that eventually happened to the build-up of the last election,” Adeyanju said.
