Tinubu Secures APC Ticket with 11M Votes, Pledges to Double Down on Reforms
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emerged as the All Progressives Congress flag bearer for the 2027 election, winning the party’s presidential primaries with 10,999,162 votes.
The result was announced Sunday, May 24, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital by Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, Chairman of the APC Presidential Election Committee. Tinubu’s only challenger, Stanley Osifo, polled 16,503 votes.
The primary held on Saturday,May 23, across all 36 states, the FCT, 774 local councils, and 8,809 wards.
According to the committee, 12.6 million APC members registered, with 11.07 million accredited and 11.02 million casting ballots. Party agents monitored the process and were allowed to raise objections, Anyim said.
Receiving the certificate of return and the party flag from APC national chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Tinubu accepted the nomination and promised to “serve our nation with even greater determination.”
Focus on a Second Term
Speaking to party leaders and delegates, Tinubu said another four years of “disciplined focus and national cooperation” would lock Nigeria onto a path of economic expansion, industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure growth, food sufficiency, and democratic consolidation.
He pointed to reforms from his first term as proof of direction. The administration, he said, had overhauled tax laws and fiscal policy to boost revenue, removed fuel subsidies, and stabilised the exchange rate.
He noted that the naira was strengthening and foreign reserves rising, despite global inflation linked to the Iran war and broader Middle East tensions.
On education, Tinubu highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which has disbursed N282 billion to over 1.5 million students. In power, he cited the distribution of 2.5 million meters through the Presidential Metering Initiative and a N4 trillion bond programme to settle debts to power generation and gas companies. Electricity generation peaked at 6,000MW under his administration, he said—50% higher than in 2023.
Infrastructure and Security
The president said his government had prioritised roads, rail, ports, and digital connectivity as engines for growth. He pointed to ongoing concrete highways along the coast and the Sokoto-Badagry route, designed to last 100 years, and to upgrades at airports and seaports after years of neglect. He also said reforms in oil and gas were attracting fresh investment into a sector that was “almost comatose.”
On security, Tinubu acknowledged persistent challenges but vowed not to relent. “I assure you that I take seriously the responsibility to safeguard the lives and property of every Nigerian. We will not rest until we restore peace and stability to every corner of our country,” he said.
He also extended an olive branch to the opposition, urging dialogue and cooperation on nation-building. “Democracy is sustained not by uniformity, but by diversity, by a shared belief in the nation and the blending of ideas,” he added.
The event was attended by governors, National Assembly members, ministers, presidential aides, and members of the APC National Working and National Executive Committees.
