Next Year: 31 Ruling Party Governors Back Tinubu with Nearly 11 Million Votes

President Bola Tinubu has secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2027 general elections, polling a commanding 10,999,162 votes in the party’s first nationwide direct primary.

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Tinubu overwhelmed his sole challenger, Mr Stanley Osifo, who garnered 16,503 votes, in an exercise conducted across 8,809 wards in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

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The results, declared in Abuja by the Chairman of APC Presidential Primary Election Committee, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, showed sweeping dominance by the president across the federation.

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Tinubu recorded his highest tally in Lagos with 814,988 votes, followed by Adamawa with 644,149 and Kaduna with 618,914.

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Other strongholds included Imo with 582,960 votes, Kano with 500,852, Katsina with 467,003, and Gombe with 450,517.

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From the South-South to the North-East, and across the Middle Belt, the President posted significant numbers, underscoring his firm grip on the party’s grassroots base.

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Osifo’s performance was largely symbolic, with his best outings in Niger with 5,248 votes, Kano with 2,675, Bauchi with 2,650, and Abia with 1,007.

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Osifo got one vote in his native Edo State and failed to secure a single vote in 21 states and the FCT, including Osun, Kogi, Delta, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Kwara, Borno, Enugu, Kebbi, Ondo, Yobe, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Ogun, Sokoto, Cross River, Taraba, and Gombe.

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A state-by-state breakdown of Tinubu’s votes shows the breadth of his dominance, with notable figures including Bayelsa with 227,192, Osun with 100,888, Oyo with 142,754, and Anambra with 43,034.

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Speaking on his victory, President Tinubu cautioned Nigerians not to allow politicians with no clear vision to take the country backward.

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The President also promised to consolidate the reforms his administration had embarked on, to work harder for the posterity Nigerians had longed for, and place the country on an irreversible path within another four years.

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President Tinubu spoke when he was handed the Certificate of Return and the flag of the APC as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

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He congratulated his opponent, Stanley Osifo, for being a good sportsman and accepting the outcome of the party primaries, and expressed his willingness to dialogue with political opponents and critics of his administration.

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Addressing party leaders and supporters, Tinubu said democracy was built not on uniformity of thought but on diversity of ideas anchored in a shared belief in the nation.

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He stated that disagreement with the opposition was a feature of democracy, rather than a threat, and that his administration had strengthened macroeconomic stability through improved revenue performance, financial management, and better fiscal coordination.

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Tinubu noted that his administration had prioritised infrastructure across transportation, power, digital connectivity, housing, and irrigation as engines for inclusive growth.

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He also highlighted the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, with over N282 billion disbursed and more than 1.5 million beneficiaries, as well as the Presidential Metering Initiative, which had closed the metering gap by supplying 2.5 million meters.

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The President acknowledged the security challenges still confronting parts of the country and assured that he would take seriously the responsibility to safeguard the lives and property of every Nigerian.

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He expressed his commitment to serve the nation with even greater determination and to place Nigeria on an irreversible path of economic expansion, industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure development, food sufficiency, and democratic consolidation.

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National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, described the party’s nationwide primaries as a “dress rehearsal” for victory in the 2027 general elections.

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Yilwatda dismissed criticisms trailing the primaries, including viral videos alleging irregularities in vote counting, describing them as recycled and misattributed clips unrelated to APC activities.

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He projected confidence ahead of 2027, saying the APC had become the political platform of choice, with Nigerians across party lines scrambling to join.

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Meanwhile, attention has shifted to the Senator David Mark-led African Democratic Congress, ADC, where three frontline aspirants, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and economist Mohammed Hayattu-Deen, will battle for the party’s ticket.