The governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday adopted President Bola Tinubu as the sole Presidential candidate of the party come 2027.
The adoption of the governors, which was given at the APC summit in Abuja yesterday, came few days after the APC stakeholders from the North East had also adopted the President for the 2027 poll. The endorsement was announced yesterday at the APC National Summit, taking place at the banquet hall of the State House, Abuja.
The endorsement was moved by the Forum chairman, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, and seconded by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, signalling strong unity among the party’s governors in support of Tinubu’s bid for a second term. However, speaking at the event, President Tinubu once again insisted the economic reforms of his administration are yielding the desired results.
He also stressed that the ruling party is not a failure. “Two years ago, we embarked on this journey, propelled by a bus of hope and abiding faith in Nigeria. Together, we pledged to confront Nigeria’s challenges head-on by rebuilding the trust, fostering prosperity.
“Today, I am proud to affirm that our economic reforms are working. There’s nothing good that comes easily. The subsidy is gone and was gone for the good of this country,” he said. After coming to office in May 2023, Tinubu embarked on a deep economic reform programme, which the government and international financial institutions said was necessary to right the public finances of the continent’s most populous country.
But those measures – including liberalising the battered naira currency, and cutting fuel subsidies – have come at a cost for many ordinary Nigerians, who are facing the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Successive years of rising inflation and sluggish growth have raised poverty and hardship levels, the bank said, estimating that nearly half of all Nigerians lived in poverty in 2024.
Meanwhile, the adoption of the governors is coming a few days after the APC stakeholders from the North East had also adopted the President for the 2027 poll. The endorsement was moved by the Forum chairman, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, and seconded by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, signalling strong unity among the party’s governors in support of Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
However, the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje has said that the goal of the party is to win elections and earn the trust of Nigerians. Gandujue in his remarks at the summit also said that all party members should see the Renewed Hope Agenda beyond the President.
According to him: “The Renewed Hope Agenda must therefore be seen as a collective mission, not the responsibility of the President alone. It is our obligation, across all organs of the APC, to rally behind this agenda with full conviction, to explain it to the people, to defend it with facts, and to ensure that its benefits are felt at every level of society.”
Uzodimma, speaking on behalf of the forum, emphasised their commitment to mobilising resources and ensuring victory for Tinubu in their respective states. They expressed confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and reforms, promising to deliver their states in the upcoming elections.
The Progressive Governors Forum’s backing further consolidates Tinubu’s position as the APC’s flag bearer for the next general election in two years’ time. Ganduje, in his speech, said: “When Mr. President campaigned on the Renewed Hope Agenda, he was not offering empty slogans.
He was presenting a contract with the Nigerian people, a bold vision for economic revitalisation, institutional renewal, and inclusive development. “Barely two years now into his administration, we can confidently say that Renewed Hope is no longer a vision on paper, it’s a reality in motion.”
Speaking further, Ganduje said: “Mr. President, I believe that with the various impactful presentations by our resource persons that include ministers and presidential advisers, it is indeed a time to celebrate our successes, confront our challenges, and prepare with clarity and resolve, for the responsibilities that lie ahead.”
Ganduje also reeled out some of the achievements of President Tinubu in the last two years. He said: “Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. President, Nigeria has witnessed a courageous and visionary implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
From the removal of fuel subsidies to the unification of the foreign exchange market, from targeted interventions in agriculture and infrastructure to bold economic reforms, this administration has taken firm steps to reposition Nigeria on the path of inclusive growth and long-term sustainability.
“Several short-term economic interventions have also been implemented to mitigate the initial hardships caused by bold reform, as Nigerians have begun to experience some immediate benefits. “Funds freed up and savings have been redirected towards critical sectors like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and security, and increased allocation to states and local governments.
“The Federal Government also approved a new National Minimum Wage from N30,000 to N70,000 for civil servants, initiated Conditional Cash Transfer of N25,000 to 15 million vulnerable households for three months; distribution of palliatives to the vulnerable households across the nation, launching of Compressed Natural Gas Initiative to provide cheaper alternative to petrol.
Over 100,000 vehicles have been converted to use CNG, with plans to convert one million vehicles in the next three years.” Also at the programme were ministers and other political heavyweights of the ruling party. However, conspicuously absent was the man Tinubu replaced in Aso Rock, Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
