The leadership of Nigeria’s National Assembly has thrown its full weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office, declaring him the “sole and unanimous choice” for the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during the APC National Summit held Thursday at the State House banquet hall in Abuja, Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the bold declaration, saying the president has successfully steered Nigeria onto a path of economic recovery and national progress, despite initial challenges.
Akpabio was joined by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, alongside other top APC figures. The Senate President’s motion for Tinubu’s second term was received with overwhelming support and no opposition from lawmakers present.
Reflecting on the challenges of the 2023 general elections, Akpabio admitted that Tinubu’s emergence as President was hard-won.
However, he emphasized that the situation has now shifted significantly in the President’s favour, describing a wave of political realignment across the country.
“If this President has done well, isn’t it our responsibility to say so?” Akpabio asked. “We are not giving him a notice of impeachment. We are giving him a notice of endorsement.”
He recounted an encounter with a senator from the Labour Party, whom he claimed had pleaded to defect to the APC. “I won’t mention his name,” Akpabio said, “but that alone shows how politically magnetic President Tinubu has become.”
The Senate President noted that President Tinubu’s efforts have begun to yield tangible results, acknowledged not only by Nigerians but also by the international community. He cited commendations from the International Monitoring Forum as proof of Nigeria’s positive trajectory under Tinubu’s leadership.
“Even members of the National Assembly and senators have said they’ve never had it this good,” Akpabio added. “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.”
Akpabio further claimed that the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is in shambles, particularly in the South-South region. “I went to my state and saw the PDP umbrella—it had over 100 holes,” he quipped. “Everything in the South-South has collapsed in your favour.”
Other National Assembly leaders present echoed Akpabio’s sentiments, endorsing Tinubu’s re-election bid without reservation.
The public show of loyalty and support from the country’s legislative leadership signals the early start of President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign, with political observers noting that this strong institutional backing could shape the coming electoral landscape.