Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general election after polling 10,999,162 votes in the party’s nationwide presidential primary.
President Tinubu was presented with the APC certificate of return and the party’s symbolic flag on Sunday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, formally confirming him as the ruling party’s standard bearer for next year’s election.
The APC chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, handed over the certificate and flag during a gathering attended by governors, National Assembly members, ministers, presidential aides, members of the National Working Committee and other senior party stakeholders.
Addressing party faithful after accepting the nomination, Tinubu pledged to consolidate ongoing economic reforms and strengthen Nigeria’s development trajectory if re-elected for a second term.
“In accepting this nomination, I renew my commitment to serve our nation with even greater determination,” the president said.
“With another four years of disciplined focus and national cooperation, we will firmly place Nigeria on an irreversible path of economic expansion, industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure development, food sufficiency, and democratic consolidation,” he added.
The chairman of the APC Presidential Election Committee, Anyim Pius Anyim, announced the results of the nationwide primary, revealing that Tinubu overwhelmingly defeated fellow aspirant Stanley Osifo, who secured 16,503 votes.
According to Anyim, the exercise was conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 local government areas and 8,809 wards in line with the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Electoral Act and the APC constitution.
He disclosed that 12,643,316 party members were registered for the exercise, while 11,069,746 members were accredited and 11,015,665 votes were cast during the direct primary election held on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
Anyim said the process was transparent and credible, noting that agents of both aspirants were given the opportunity to challenge results and seek redress where necessary.
“The process was fair,” he said, adding that votes were collated in Abuja by designated collation officers, many of whom were state governors.
Tinubu used the occasion to commend APC governors, lawmakers, members of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee and the presidential primary committee for what he described as their support and confidence in his leadership.
The president also defended the performance of his administration over the last three years, urging party members to market the achievements of the APC since assuming power in 2015.
“Our economy has undergone significant structural reform, supported by new tax laws and fiscal policies that have boosted revenue collection for the federation,” Tinubu stated.
Highlighting reforms in the education sector, the president said his administration had fulfilled its promise of improving access to higher education financing through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
“We promised to remove the financial barriers to higher education for our youth. Today, we have established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, with over N282 billion disbursed and over 1.5 million beneficiaries,” he said.
