President Bola Tinubu has expressed joy at the defection of opposition politicians to his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), and urged the party’s leadership to bring more of them.
President Tinubu said this at the party’s National Summit on Thursday in Abuja, where the party leadership endorsed him as its sole candidate for the 2027 presidential poll.
Apart from the party, the 22 governors elected on its platform, and the National Assembly leadership endorsed the president.
At the event held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, President Tinubu condemned those who accused his administration of plotting to install a one-party state because of the gale of defections.
He said the APC should not be blamed for the politicians leaving a “sinking ship.”
“You don’t blame people bailing out of a sinking ship when they have no life jacket. I am glad of what we have and I’m expecting more to come. That’s the game.
“We are in a constitutional democracy. Don’t forget that freedom of movement and freedom of association are not criminally punishable. Welcome to the progressives; sweep them clean,” Mr Tinubu said.
APC endorses Tinubu
In his speech earlier, the APC National Working Committee led by Abdullahi Ganduje, its national chairman, said it endorsed President Tinubu for a second term.
The endorsement came after the APC governors and the party’s National Assembly members declared support for the president as their sole candidate for the 2027 presidential poll.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the 22 governors, under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), announced the endorsement through their chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, at the summit.
Mr Uzodimma moved the motion for Mr Tinubu’s adoption while it was seconded by the forum’s vice chairman, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State.
The Imo governor, while moving the motion, pledged the commitment of the governors to mobilise resources and ensure victory for President Tinubu in their respective states.
When the motion was put to vote, none of the governors opposed it.
National Assembly endorsement
Senate President Godswill Akpabio moved the motion for the president’s endorsement, which Speaker Abbas Tajudeen of the House of Representatives seconded. They were joined by their deputies, Barau Jibrin and Ben Kalu.
Mr Akpabio said President Tinubu would secure more states during the election.
“If this president has done well, isn’t it our responsibility to say so? And if he hasn’t done well, isn’t it also our duty to serve him a notice of impeachment?
“We are not giving him a notice of impeachment. We are giving him a notice that it was difficult for him in 2023. But in 2027, I see everything turning around. I see things changing. The number of states that are coming to join you is growing.
“As I was leaving today, a senator grabbed my dress and said,” Please take me there. “I told him, “You can’t come now. And he is a Labour Party senator; I won’t mention his name.
“But just imagine, he is a Labour Party senator, pleading to be brought in. This reflects the political sagacity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Mr Akabio said.
According to the senate president, President Tinubu is working hard to reposition Nigeria despite the mounting challenges.
He said, “Despite very difficult times, he has managed to set Nigeria on a path to growth, confirmed by the international community and by the International Monitoring Forum.
“It is evident that Nigerians, especially those at the grassroots, are very enthusiastic. Even members of the National Assembly and senators have said they’ve never had it this good.
“I hereby move, and let it be moved, that not only should President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be the sole presidential candidate of the APC in 2027, but he should also be the unanimous choice of the Nigerian people.”
Mr Akpabio slammed the opposition parties, noting they are in disarray and that Mr Tinubu should be re-elected as the sole candidate in 2027.
The senate president stated that with opposition parties, particularly the PDP, in disarray, President Tinubu should be re-elected in 2027 as the sole candidate.
“All other political parties are in disarray. I went to my state and saw the PDP’s umbrella, it had over 100 holes. Very soon, you will hear the news, though it’s not my place to announce it. But I know the national chairman has already hinted at it: everything (political structure) in the South-south has collapsed in your favour.
“This reflects what is happening across the nation. Nigerians are saying that because you have handled a difficult job successfully, it’s time we reward you by returning you to the presidency for a second term.
“Therefore, as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I move that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu return, first, as the APC’s sole presidential candidate, and secondly, as Nigeria’s next President in 2027.”
There was no dissenting voice after he moved the motion to adopt President Tinubu as the sole candidate.
Competition in 2023
In the 2023 APC primary election, President Tinubu defeated 13 others to clinch the party’s ticket. He polled 1,271 votes, while his closest opponent, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, scored 316. One of his opponents was the sitting vice president, Yemi Osibajo.
The president, then the APC leader, defeated 17 candidates of other parties to win the presidential election held on 25 February 2023.
