Tinubu picks nomination form to open re-election bid
On the first day of sales, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday picked up his expression of interest and nomination forms for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket. Governorship aspirants in
- Hamzat, Yayi, Adamu, Tumsah, Buba take governorship forms
On the first day of sales, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday picked up his expression of interest and nomination forms for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.
Governorship aspirants in Lagos, Ogun, Nasarawa, Yobe and Bauchi states also obtained forms at the Ladi Kwali International Conference Centre of Abuja Continental Hotel, venue of the exercise.
The APC nomination collection centre became a hub of political activity as other high-profile aspirants came to secure their forms.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, James Abiodun Faleke, exuded confidence as he collected the President’s forms. He performed the same role in 2023.
He did so then alongside former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal.
Lawal later left the APC after failing to secure the presidential runningmate slot.
Following the payment of the mandatory N100 million nomination fee, the forms were presented to Faleke by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Abubakar Dalori, and the National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, on behalf of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Faleke told reporters: “There is no one particular person who has done this (collection of the forms). It is on behalf of all Nigerians.
“For all support groups who have made efforts and contributed money to purchase the form, I have done so on their behalf.”
Drawing parallels to the build-up to the 2023 polls, Faleke expressed confidence in the President’s track record as the foundation for his re-election bid.
He said: “Just as we did pre-2023 election, I was also privileged, alongside some leaders, to buy the form.
“Again, I am privileged to do so on behalf of all Nigerians for our performing president. By the grace of God, 2027 will be a reality. He will contest, and he will win the election again.
“Those of us who contributed money to buy this form are more than 1,000 in Lagos. It is not just one person. All of us cannot come here to pick the form; only representatives are sent.
“Everything is intact and God is in charge.”
Faleke also secured nomination forms for Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat (governorship); Senator Idiat Adebule (Lagos West Senatorial District); and for his own re-election into the House of Representatives (Ikeja Federal Constituency).
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Fifty-year-old international entrepreneur and economic figure, Osifo Stanley, who has declared his intention to run for president against the incumbent, also collected his expression of interest and nomination forms.
Agents of notable figures who picked governorship forms include Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), vying for the Ogun State governorship; Senator Shehu Buba, seeking the party’s Bauchi State governorship ticket; former Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar Adamu, eyeing the Nasarawa State seat; and Kashim Musa Tumsah, a lawyer whose nomination forms for the Yobe State governorship were purchased by a group, the Yobe First Movement, led by Comrade Ibrahim Lawal.
Addressing reporters, Senator Buba, who personally came to obtain the form as a governorship aspirant from Bauchi State, expressed confidence in his chances of taking over the reins of the state from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government.
Senator Buba, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly, said: “We stand a very good chance to take over Bauchi from the ruling PDP. I am optimistic because Bauchi is an APC state, and you can attest to that.
“The PDP government has failed the people of Bauchi. Being the first person to obtain the form as an aspirant, be rest assured that, if I get the ticket, we will send the PDP out.”
Speaking with reporters after the Yobe First Movement presented him with the nomination forms, Tumsah, a former diplomat and legal practitioner, said he joined the race despite the reported consensus arrangement in the state.
He noted that the state cannot afford to present anything less than its best when it has the capacity to ensure development and progress.
The human development expert, fondly called KMT, dismissed insinuations that his political credentials could not match those of other aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket.
“Political titles do not make anyone a better candidate; it is what you have done for your people and antecedents, even while holding previous public offices, that matter,” he said.
Citing the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the party’s standard-bearer in 2023 despite internal opposition, Tumsah said: “The struggle to put Yobe on the front burner of development is not over until it is over.”
APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, said the sale of nomination forms reflects the party’s preparedness to conduct free, fair and transparent primaries that will produce candidates for all elective positions.
The former Deputy Governor of Kebbi State assured aspirants of a level playing field and advised them to adhere strictly to the party’s rules and guidelines, adding that the APC is set to provide leadership by example in the conduct of primaries.
According to the APC’s revised schedule of activities and timetable for the 2027 elections, the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms will run until May 2, 2026, while submission of completed forms closes on May 4.
Screening of aspirants is slated for May 6 to May 9, with publication of results on May 11. Appeals are scheduled for May 12 and May 13.
Primary elections will commence on May 15 with the House of Representatives, followed by the Senate on May 18, State Houses of Assembly on May 20, governorship on May 21, and the presidential primary on May 23.
Post-primary appeals will run between May 18 and May 25, depending on the category of election.
