President Bola Tinubu stated on Thursday that the political and leadership abilities required to match his qualifications were not possessed by his rivals in the January 16 presidential election.
Tinubu, who claimed that since taking office his administration had fulfilled the electoral promises he made in 2023, which had driven significant development across the country, said his bid for a second term was aimed at building on his first-term accomplishments.
The President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made these remarks in Ado Ekiti on Thursday at a presidential rally organized by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council and held at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion in Ado Ekiti.
He urged voters in Ekiti State to give him at least 90 percent of the total votes cast in the upcoming presidential election so that he could retain his seat and develop the country.
Tinubu said he had fulfilled some of the promises he made to the people of Ekiti before the last presidential election, particularly in terms of appointments and the execution of developmental projects.
He expressed delight at how Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji had managed to unite all the opposition figures in the state after the June 20 governorship election, especially by bringing political opponents onto the same page to rally support for him ahead of 2027.
He said, “Let me speak briefly about those who are contesting against us. Let us analyze Adamawa State, for instance: we have had five governors since 1999 in that state, and not a single one is standing with Alhaji Abubakar Atiku (the African Democratic Congress candidate).
“Is Governor Umaru Fintiri with him? No. Are former governors Boni Haruna, Bala Ngilari, Murtala Nyako, and Bindow Jibrilla with him? No. None of them is standing with him. All these political giants are standing with President Tinubu.
“If you can’t control your own state, if you are not relevant in your state, how can you now be relevant elsewhere?
“Politics is a game of numbers. What will Atiku, who is not relevant at home, tell the people of Osun, Ogun, Kaduna, Lagos, Rivers, and others?”
Speaking on his achievements in Ekiti State in the last three years, Tinubu said he had completed the construction of the Ado-Ikere-Akure road, while contracts had been awarded for the reconstruction of the Ado-Ijan-Iluomoba-Ikare road and the Ado-Aramoko-Ita Ore road.
“Besides road construction, we have also established a federal university at Iyin Ekiti to train our youths and employ them.
“Students of Ekiti State University and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology are enjoying the students’ loan established by our administration,” he said.
The president said that another term for him would represent “another chance to do more and make Nigeria a great nation.”
The APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, urged the people of Ekiti State and Nigerians in general to give Tinubu and all APC candidates overwhelming electoral support in the elections.
He noted that the president’s performance, reform initiatives, and dedication to national development had earned him another term in office.
He expressed joy at the huge turnout and the enthusiastic reception given to the party’s leadership and campaign team, calling the crowd a clear demonstration of the people’s confidence in the APC and their backing for the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said the rally offered a chance to present the party’s candidates, from Tinubu to those vying for seats in the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly, while restating the APC’s resolve to keep its leadership and deliver greater prosperity to Nigerians.
Yilwatda described Tinubu as both a performer and a reformer, noting that the administration had undertaken far-reaching reforms intended to reposition the Nigerian economy, strengthen public institutions, and create opportunities for citizens and businesses.
He gave particular attention to the administration’s tax reforms, explaining that the new framework was crafted to shield low-income earners and small businesses from unnecessary tax burdens while letting them keep more resources for personal and business development.
The APC national chairman also called attention to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, describing it as a major intervention that expands access to higher education and ensures financial constraints do not prevent deserving Nigerian students from pursuing their academic ambitions.
On infrastructure, Yilwatda cited several key road projects in Ekiti State, including major road links between Ado-Ekiti and Akure, along with other completed and ongoing projects, as proof of the Federal Government’s commitment to improving transportation infrastructure, boosting economic activities, and enabling development across the country.
Presenting Tinubu to the people of Ekiti State for another term, Yilwatda urged voters to back the APC in all elective positions, stressing how important it is to elect candidates who would work in harmony with the president to sustain ongoing reforms and speed up national development.
The Director General, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, appealed to Ekiti voters to give Tinubu at least 800,000 votes, which he said would be about 90 percent of registered voters.
Yari said, “The labor of President Tinubu, a seasoned leader and democrat, won’t be in vain. He has invested a lot in the growth of democracy in Nigeria, and keeping him in the presidential seat for the next four years will enable him to achieve his restructuring programs.
“I am happy today that when he came on board, he had succeeded in reducing food inflation. The prices of bags of sorghum, rice, millets, maize, and other consumables had been reduced drastically.
“In the North, we are with him, and I believe that voters in Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, and Lagos should follow suit.
“He had supported our sons to win elections in this country. We have not forgotten these. Northerners will appreciate these noble gestures with votes so that President Tinubu can continue to pilot the affairs of our nation to a point that will benefit all of us,” the campaign DG said.
Yari called on voters in Ekiti State to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying the president had performed well and deserved a second term.
“Asiwaju has not forgotten the people of Ekiti. He has done his best by introducing schools and universities, constructing roads, providing educational support to youths, and empowering women, among other initiatives. Now, we are in 2026, with the election just about 80 days away.
“Ekiti people, I have a question for you. During the 2023 election, Asiwaju, as a candidate, asked you to vote for the governor, and you did. He also asked you to vote for him in the presidential election.
“Ekiti gave him 80 percent of its votes. Today, out of 1,080,000 registered voters, more than 900,000 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards. I want to make a request, which is also the request of the president.
“We are looking for 800,000 votes, representing about 90 percent of the votes cast. That is why I am asking for 90 percent. The candidates who contested against our governor, including those of the PDP, APM, and SDP, are all here to demonstrate their solidarity and unity with the governor in support of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
“Governor, our message to you and the leaders of Ekiti State is to convey to the people that the President has done well. Therefore, we are asking for more than 800,000 votes from Ekiti,” he said.
Oyebanji, who brought the governorship campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Wole Oluyede, and other prominent opposition figures to address the gathering, said the APC won the last governorship election with 87.5 percent, a result he described as a victory for Tinubu and the people of the state.
Oyebanji, who noted that Tinubu has not disappointed Ekiti citizens when it comes to federal presence, assured that the state would raise the vote tally for the president in 2027 in appreciation of his generosity of spirit and committed zeal to develop the state and its people.
“President Tinubu has no problem in Ekiti. We are united behind him. All our former governors are with us on this project, and all the major candidates of opposition parties are with us. We are going to return the president with 90 percent of the total votes here in Ekiti.
“How do we pay back a president who has completed the Ado-Ikere-Akure road and who has awarded the reconstruction of the Ado-Aramoko-Itawure and Ado-Ijan-Iluomoba-Ikole road? The only way we can say a thank-you to a president who has done a lot for our women and youths is by giving him our votes, and we shall do that here in Ekiti by the grace of God,” he said.
