By Ayodele Oni
President Bola Tinubu, has charged former vice president, Atiku Abubakar to first secure the support of political leaders in his home state before seeking the support of Nigerians in the 2027 presidential election.
The President questioned the former Vice President’s political influence in Adamawa State, saying none of the State’s former governors supports his presidential ambition.
Tinubu, speaking in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, at the APC presidential campaign rally, said Atiku’s alleged inability to secure the backing of political leaders in his home state raised questions about his capacity to win a national election.
The President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, claimed that none of the five governors who had governed Adamawa State since the return to democracy in 1999 supported Atiku.
Tinubu listed former governors Boni Haruna, Murtala Nyako, Bala Ngilari and Jibrilla Bindow, as well as the incumbent, Ahmadu Fintiri, all of whom he said were not supporting Atiku.
“If you cannot control your own state, if you are not relevant in your home base, how can you tell others to elect you?” he asked.
The President pointed out that politics was about grassroots control, not emotions or social media popularity, adding that political leaders should be judged by their records and what they delivered to the people.
He also dismissed the African Democratic Congress’ s (ADC) political strength in Ekiti, saying the party’s candidate in the 2026 governorship election secured about 12,000 votes.
Tinubu urged Ekiti voters to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, expressing confidence that the APC would secure between 90 and 95 per cent of the votes cast in the state during the January 16, 2027, presidential election.
He recalled that Ekiti was the first state to declare its presidential election results in 2023, giving Tinubu 201,495 votes and delivering victory for the APC in all 16 local government areas.
The President also thanked the people for re-electing Governor Biodun Oyebanji in the June 20 governorship election, in which the APC candidate reportedly secured 85.7 per cent of the votes cast.
He added that the APC-led Federal Government has embarked on several projects in the state, including the reconstruction of the Akure-Ado Roads Ekiti and Itawure-Aramoko roads, the establishment of the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti, and the approval of a mining and geosciences institute.
Oyebanji, while addressing the crowd, said the endorsement of Tinubu by the governorship candidates of the PDP, APM and other political parties demonstrated political unity in Ekiti.
He recalled that Tinubu, during the 2022 governorship campaign, had asked Ekiti voters to elect him as governor and support his presidential ambition, promising federal backing for the state.
The governor said the people fulfilled their part of the agreement by voting for both candidates, adding that the President had supported his administration through federal projects and interventions.
He stated that the APC’s victory in the June 20 governorship election, with 85.7 per cent of the votes cast, endorsed the party’s performance and demonstrated political unity in the state
Oyebanji promised that Ekiti would deliver at least 80 per cent of the total registered votes to Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
Also speaking, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole highlighted the Tinubu administration’s policies on student loans, minimum wage, security, and the expansion of educational institutions.
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