Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is set to contest for a second and final four-year term in office after securing a landslide victory in the presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC held its presidential primaries on Saturday, May 24, where President Tinubu faced a surprise challenge from relatively unknown party member Stanley Osifo. However, the contest ended in a decisive victory for the incumbent president, who polled nearly 11 million votes, while Osifo secured just 16,500 votes.
Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s flagbearer clears the way for him to lead the APC into Nigeria’s next general election scheduled for January 2027.
Since assuming office in 2023, Tinubu has introduced a series of major economic reforms that have drawn praise from foreign investors and international financial institutions. His administration removed long-standing fuel and electricity subsidies, eased foreign exchange restrictions, and initiated significant tax reforms aimed at stabilising Nigeria’s economy.
Despite criticism from some Nigerians over rising living costs linked to the reforms, supporters argue the measures are necessary to rebuild the country’s economy and attract investment.
The president’s re-election prospects also received a boost after efforts by opposition parties to unite behind a single presidential candidate reportedly collapsed earlier this month, weakening the possibility of a coordinated challenge against the APC.
Tinubu first won the presidency in 2023 after defeating his two main rivals in a fiercely contested election. The opposition candidates challenged the outcome in court, alleging irregularities and vote manipulation, but the courts upheld Tinubu’s victory. The president has consistently maintained that he won the election fairly.
