Tinubu, Atiku, Obi: PVM Demands Scorecard-Based 2027 Debate
The Progressives Vision Movement (PVM) has called on Nigerians to abandon what it described as the politics of ethnicity, religion and emotional attachment ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi should be assessed strictly on their records in public office.
President of the movement, OmoOba Gbadegeshin Ademola, said Nigeria had reached a stage where political choices must be driven by competence, experience, measurable achievements and capacity rather than ethnic identity, religious affiliation or social-media popularity.
According to PVM, comparing political leaders without examining the responsibilities they previously held and what they accomplished amounts to reducing an important national conversation to sentiment.
The movement argued that Tinubu, Atiku and Obi are not political newcomers and therefore Nigerians have enough material from their respective years in public life to conduct a serious comparison.
PVM said Atiku served as Nigeria’s Vice President for eight years under President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, while Obi governed Anambra State for roughly eight years across two periods between 2006 and 2014.
Tinubu similarly governed Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 before assuming office as President of Nigeria in May 2023.
“The time has come to stop choosing leaders because they come from our tribe, worship in our church or mosque, speak our language or have succeeded in creating an emotional political movement,” Ademola said.
“Bring out the scorecards. Put the records on the table. Let Nigerians compare what each person inherited, what resources were available, the reforms undertaken, institutions created and measurable results delivered.”
PVM maintained that presenting Atiku and Obi as automatic alternatives to Tinubu without subjecting their previous records to equivalent scrutiny would amount to applying different standards to political actors.
Using a provocative analogy, Ademola said PVM believes comparing political personalities merely on rhetoric while ignoring their records is “like presenting kindergarten credentials against a first-class university performance.”
He stressed that the statement represented the movement’s political assessment rather than a literal comparison of the candidates’ educational qualifications.
PVM challenged Atiku to place before Nigerians a comprehensive account of his eight years as Vice President, including his role in economic management, privatisation, investment promotion and other responsibilities assigned to him during the Obasanjo administration.
The movement said the privatisation programme of that era should also remain open to legitimate examination.
It called for evidence-based discussion of what assets were privatised, their valuations, the processes through which buyers emerged and whether Nigerians ultimately received value from the programme.
PVM cautioned, however, that institutional decisions of the Federal Government should not automatically be attributed personally to one official without documentary evidence establishing individual responsibility.
Turning to Peter Obi, the movement challenged the former Anambra governor to make his eight-year record the foundation of his argument for Nigeria’s presidency.
According to PVM, supporters and critics should examine verifiable indicators covering education, healthcare, infrastructure, workers’ welfare, local government administration, internally generated revenue, investment and poverty reduction during Obi’s tenure.
“If somebody tells Nigerians that he possesses an exceptional formula for transforming the country, Nigerians have every right to examine where that person previously exercised executive authority,” Ademola said.
“If the formula was revolutionary, what measurable transformation did it produce there? These are democratic questions, not insults.”
PVM argued that Obi’s supporters frequently highlight his record of fiscal prudence, savings, improvements in education and investments made by the Anambra government during his tenure.
The movement said those achievements should be acknowledged where supported by evidence, but maintained that other aspects of his administration should receive equal scrutiny.
It pointed particularly to industrial disputes involving health workers during Obi’s administration and controversies surrounding local government elections, saying these issues deserve examination rather than being dismissed because of political loyalty.
PVM also questioned whether Obi’s inability to resolve the protracted leadership crisis within the Labour Party should form part of the public assessment of his political management skills.
The movement stressed that an internal party dispute cannot simply be equated with governing a country, but argued that political leadership also involves coalition-building, conflict resolution and managing competing interests.
“If you want to manage more than 200 million Nigerians with different ethnic groups, religions and interests, Nigerians are entitled to examine how you manage political disagreements around you,” Ademola said.
PVM nevertheless warned Tinubu’s supporters against believing that criticism of Atiku and Obi automatically establishes the President’s performance.
The organisation said Tinubu must equally submit his administration to the same scorecard test.
According to PVM, Nigerians should examine the impact of Tinubu’s removal of petrol subsidy, foreign-exchange reforms, tax and fiscal policies, infrastructure programmes, security strategy, student financing initiatives, social interventions and other economic measures.
The movement acknowledged that Nigerians have endured severe economic pressures following some of the administration’s reforms, particularly through higher living, transportation and food costs.
It therefore urged the Federal Government to ensure that macroeconomic improvements translate into tangible improvements in household welfare, employment and purchasing power.
“Supporting President Tinubu does not mean pretending that Nigerians are not facing difficulties,” Ademola said.
“The President must ultimately be judged by whether his reforms produce prosperity, security, employment, stronger institutions and a better standard of living.”
PVM argued that Tinubu’s supporters should defend him primarily with verifiable results rather than ethnic mobilisation.
The movement similarly urged Obi’s supporters not to reduce every criticism of the former governor to ethnic hostility, while asking Atiku’s supporters to demonstrate why his previous experience makes him a superior alternative.
According to the organisation, Nigeria cannot build a mature democracy when citizens refuse to interrogate politicians simply because they share the same ethnicity, religion or political identity.
“Nobody should tell a Yoruba man to support Tinubu simply because Tinubu is Yoruba. Nobody should tell an Igbo citizen that Obi must be supported because he is Igbo. Nobody should tell a northern Muslim that Atiku deserves his vote because of geography or religion,” Ademola said.
“That mentality has held Nigeria back for too long.”
PVM said the fundamental questions ahead of 2027 should be straightforward: Who has demonstrated the capacity to manage complex institutions? Who has built sustainable systems? Who has delivered measurable development? Who possesses a credible economic programme? And whose previous record provides the strongest evidence for the promises being made today?
The movement said Nigerians should also reject the tendency to portray any politician as a saint.
According to PVM, Tinubu, Atiku and Obi are experienced politicians whose decisions, associations, successes and failures should all be subjected to scrutiny.
“There are no political messiahs,” Ademola declared. “There are only leaders with records that citizens must interrogate.”
PVM therefore called on civil society organisations, journalists, professional bodies, universities and political organisations to organise evidence-driven debates comparing the records of major presidential contenders ahead of 2027.
It suggested that such assessments should examine economic management, infrastructure, education, healthcare, security, employment, public finance, institutional reforms, investment, workers’ welfare and democratic governance.
Ademola said Nigerians must resist attempts to turn the 2027 election into a battle between Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa-Fulani interests or between Christians and Muslims.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must not be re-elected because he is Yoruba or Muslim. Peter Obi must not be elected because he is Igbo or Christian. Atiku Abubakar must not be elected because he is a northerner or Muslim,” he said.
“Let every one of them come before Nigerians with his record.”
PVM maintained that democracy becomes stronger when citizens challenge political claims with facts rather than insults and propaganda.
The movement said Tinubu should defend his presidency with measurable achievements, Atiku should defend his candidacy with his record as Vice President and Obi should defend his ambition with his performance as Anambra governor.
“Enough of sentiment. Enough of tribalism. Enough of weaponising religion. Nigeria is too important to be governed by emotion,” Ademola said.
“Let us put Tinubu’s record on one side, Atiku’s record on another and Obi’s record on another. Let the facts speak, and let Nigerians decide who has demonstrated the strongest capacity to lead.”
PVM concluded that the 2027 presidential contest should become a referendum on performance rather than personality, arguing that Nigeria’s next political chapter must be written through informed choices rather than ethnic, religious or emotional mobilisation.
