The presidential candidate of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Moses Adebisi, has declared that he will defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election and emerge as Nigeria’s youngest elected president.

Adebisi made the declaration on Thursday during an interview on Arise TV, where he explained his decision to enter the presidential race and outlined his party’s strategy for challenging the established political parties.

The DLA was registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in February 2026 after 171 political associations initially applied for registration.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, had said 14 of the associations met the initial pre-qualification requirements, but only the DLA satisfied all the legal conditions following the final assessment.

Explaining his decision to contest the presidency, Adebisi said he was motivated by the desire to contribute directly to solving Nigeria’s challenges after spending time abroad.

He expressed confidence in his ability to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Tinubu, in 2027.

“As I, Moses, am usually called, I am the only person that has the capacity to defeat the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC government come 2027 in Nigeria. You can actually take my word for that,” he said.

Adebisi said the DLA had deliberately maintained a low profile while building its political structures, describing the approach as its “submarine strategy”.

“They never saw us coming. Nobody saw us coming at all, but we came anyway,” he said.

According to him, the party plans to combine the strategy with grassroots mobilisation and an “underdog approach” to challenge the dominant political parties during the election.

Adebisi also described the DLA as the only political party registered by INEC between 2022 and 2026, noting that it emerged from a competitive process involving numerous political associations.

He said his candidacy represented a generational shift in Nigeria’s presidential politics, stressing that he was the youngest candidate in the 2027 presidential race.

“The presidential candidate of the DLA is the youngest presidential candidate or the incoming president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the youngest,” he said.

Why I returned from US

Adebisi said his decision to return to Nigeria and enter politics was influenced by calls from Nigerians urging him to participate directly in addressing the country’s problems.

Before joining partisan politics, he said he was involved in community-based empowerment programmes, including initiatives supporting low-income market women and digital literacy projects for secondary school students.

He said his organisation provided computers and volunteers to communities across parts of the South-West, North-Central and the Federal Capital Territory to assist students preparing for computer-based examinations.

Adebisi said his interest in political leadership also led him to study economic transformation models in other countries, particularly China’s economic reforms launched in 1978.

He disclosed that he travelled to China, including Beijing and Shanghai, to study the country’s economic transformation and the policies he believed contributed to its emergence as a major global economic power.

“I was like, what are the things that make people emerge politically? What are the things that make people win elections and how do people succeed?” he said.

He added that his study of China’s economic reforms, alongside aspects of the American liberty agenda, formed part of his preparation for political leadership.

“That is why I’m here, that I’m the right man for the job. And I’m the one that will defeat Tinubu this 2027,” Adebisi said.

The 2027 presidential contest is expected to feature President Tinubu seeking another term alongside candidates from opposition and emerging political parties, with parties expected to intensify grassroots mobilisation as the election approaches.

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