Vice-presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Lawal Musa Daura, has declared that President Bola Tinubu can be defeated in the 2027 presidential election, saying the President’s administration has made several mistakes.

Daura, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, made the statement on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed his relationship with Tinubu, his political experience under former President Muhammadu Buhari and his partnership with APM presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde.

Asked whether Tinubu could be defeated in 2027, Daura responded, “Very well,” arguing that the administration had committed several errors that could work against the President at the polls.

The former DSS director-general also dismissed any suggestion that he was unfamiliar with Tinubu, stressing that their relationship extended beyond politics and that they knew each other well.

“President Bola Tinubu is not a stranger to me. Even though he is the leader of the nation, the Commander-in-Chief, in another class, we’re friends. We know ourselves very well,” Daura said.

He, however, added that some things attributed to the President were not necessarily his actions, saying, “There are lots of things being ascribed to him which he’s not.”

Reflecting on his years serving under Buhari as DSS director-general, Daura said he still missed the late former president, adding, “I took bullets for him.”

He also criticised individuals he described as sycophants who surrounded Buhari, alleging that some of them betrayed the former president’s trust and exploited his administration.

“There were so many sycophants around Buhari; they betrayed the trust he gave them and took advantage of that government,” he said.

Explaining why Nigerians should support the Makinde-Daura ticket, the APM vice-presidential candidate said he and Makinde shared a common understanding and vision for the country.

“We are a pair that seems to really understand each other; we share the same passion for this country, and don’t forget, one of our mottos is that we are resetting this country,” Daura said.

Daura spoke shortly after Makinde’s presidential campaign office was unveiled in Abuja, an event attended by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi.

Obi, who endorsed Makinde as qualified to become President, said Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their preferred candidate and urged political leaders to work together irrespective of who emerges victorious in the 2027 presidential election.