ABUJA, Nigeria — Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared that President Bola Tinubu should not only be the sole presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 but also the only candidate for the entire country.
Speaking at the APC summit in Abuja on Thursday, May 22, 2025, Akpabio praised Tinubu’s leadership and described his performance so far as exceptional, especially given the challenges facing Nigeria.
He attributed the country’s current trajectory of economic growth to Tinubu’s “political sagacity,” noting that even international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have recognised the administration’s direction.
“In view of the fact that Nigerians are grassroots people, they are very excited; in view of the fact that even the members of the national assembly and senators said they have never had it this good,” Akpabio said, urging legislators present to rally behind the president.
Akpabio called on members of the national assembly, especially those in the APC, to stand and join him in endorsing Tinubu for re-election, declaring him not only the party’s flagbearer but also the people’s candidate.
“I want to move, and let it be moved, that not only will President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be a sole candidate for the presidency in 2027, but he will also be a sole candidate for the whole Nigerian population,” Akpabio declared.
He claimed that opposition parties, particularly the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have become irrelevant, using the analogy that the PDP’s umbrella is riddled with over a hundred holes.
He further suggested that the political dominance of Tinubu has led to the collapse of opposition structures in regions like the South-South.
Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, formally seconded the motion, stating that the entire legislative arm—comprising 109 senators, 360 House members, and all 36 state assembly speakers—endorses Tinubu’s return for a second term.
Earlier in the summit, Imo State Governor and chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodimma, had announced the governors’ unanimous support for Tinubu as the APC’s sole 2027 presidential candidate.
