The All Progressives Congress, APC, has expressed strong confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term in office, declaring that none of the major opposition contenders can match his record ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, made the assertion on Thursday when he received members of the Forum of APC House of Representatives Aspirants, led by Hon. Danjuma Mohammed, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
According to Yilwatda, the ruling party has enough evidence and records to demonstrate that Tinubu remains the strongest candidate on the 2027 ballot.
He said, “No political party, as it stands today, has a more credible candidate than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We have facts; we have records that if we put them vis-à-vis any other candidate that is on this ballot, none match our own candidate.”
Yilwatda challenged opposition parties to present the records of their preferred candidates for comparison with Tinubu’s performance, insisting that none would come close, particularly in the area of infrastructure and institution building.
He pointed to several major projects being undertaken by the Tinubu administration, including the Abuja Kaduna Kano road corridor, which he said stretches for more than 441 kilometres and is approaching completion in some sections.
The APC chairman also cited progress on the Trans Saharan Superhighway, saying between 30 and 40 per cent of the project had been completed. He noted that the particular stretch covers more than 1,400 kilometres, while also drawing attention to the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway.
Yilwatda contrasted these projects with the infrastructure record of previous administrations, particularly the period when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in power and Atiku Abubakar served as Vice President.
He recalled the release of more than ₦300 billion for road projects during that period and questioned the extent to which Nigerians could identify major roads constructed with the funds.
“We were here live. When the president gave road projects of over ₦300 billion, when another person was the Minister of Works, we couldn’t find even the road that was patched with that budget,” he said.
He added that Nigerians should be able to identify at least one 500 kilometre stretch of road constructed with the money if the projects had been properly executed.
According to him, the Tinubu administration has been able to identify and execute several major infrastructure projects within three years, arguing that the scale of ongoing construction was evidence of the government’s commitment to development.
Beyond roads, Yilwatda highlighted the Ajaokuta Kaduna Kano gas pipeline as another major project with wider economic implications.
He explained that the gas infrastructure would provide fuel for fertiliser production, support compressed natural gas, supply homes and power industries, while also contributing to electricity generation.
He questioned how critics could dismiss such projects and still argue that the Tinubu administration had not performed well.
The APC chairman also took aim at criticism of the student loan programme, particularly comments attributed to opposition figures who have promised to scrap the initiative if elected.
Yilwatda, who previously worked as a university lecturer, said critics who dismissed the value of the government’s ₦20,000 monthly student support might not understand what such an amount means to students and families struggling to meet basic needs.
He recalled seeing students abandon their education because they could not afford school fees, saying his experience as a lecturer had given him first hand knowledge of the difficulties faced by many young Nigerians.
To illustrate his point, he recounted the story of a student who saved part of the monthly support, bought a second hand refrigerator and started selling iced fish to fellow students.
According to Yilwatda, the example showed how modest financial assistance could become a means of creating a small business and improving a young person’s livelihood.
He also questioned the criticism coming from individuals connected to private universities that charge millions of naira in fees, noting that students in such institutions can also benefit from the student loan scheme.
Earlier, Mohammed explained that the forum of aspirants was established in 2022 under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to bring together individuals who contested the party’s primary election but did not emerge as its candidates.
He said the group subsequently worked to mobilise support for the party’s presidential candidate at the time, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
Mohammed said political developments later led many members of the forum to move to the APC, where they are now committed to supporting Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for another term.
He said the forum has members spread across the 360 federal constituencies and stressed that it was not created to compete with or weaken existing structures of the APC.
Instead, Mohammed said the group wants to complement the party’s efforts by helping to mobilise support and communicate the administration’s message at the grassroots.
He appealed to the APC leadership to support the production and nationwide distribution of campaign materials in major Nigerian languages and across different media platforms.
He also proposed political conferences across the six geopolitical zones as part of efforts to take the party’s message directly to voters.
Mohammed maintained that former aspirants, when properly coordinated, could provide a strong political network capable of contributing significantly to the party’s success in 2027.
Responding to the request, Yilwatda assured the group that the party would give them a role within its existing structure.
He said a directorate was already responsible for working with the aspirants and promised to connect the forum with the relevant officials so that activities could begin.
The APC chairman also used his personal experience of electoral defeat to encourage members of the forum not to become discouraged by previous political setbacks.
Yilwatda recalled contesting the Plateau State governorship election, losing the election and subsequently losing his case at the Supreme Court.
Despite those setbacks, he said he returned to the party and continued working without resentment.
He urged the aspirants to adopt the same approach and remain committed to the party’s collective objectives.
Yilwatda further claimed that the APC currently has more than 261,000 executive members across its structures nationwide, apart from the wider membership base.
He said the challenge before the party was to transform its numerical strength into electoral victory by building a strong working relationship with the former aspirants and other party stakeholders.
“Our party has over 261,000 Exco. Just excos of the party, not to talk of members. We want to convert those numbers to victory, and we need to form that partnership. Partner with us, work with us, and victory is sure for all of us,” he said.
The APC leadership’s confidence comes as political activities gradually intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, with the ruling party positioning Tinubu’s record and ongoing projects as key elements of its campaign for a second term.
