President Bola Tinubu on Sunday said the economic reforms introduced by his administration have been painful not only for ordinary Nigerians, but also for him personally, declaring that he has lost sleep and weight while carrying the burden of reforming the country.
Tinubu spoke at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja after he was declared winner of the All Progressives Congress presidential primary and confirmed as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election.
The President polled 10,999,162 votes to defeat his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, who scored 16,503 votes in the direct primary conducted across 8,809 wards and 774 local government areas nationwide.
Accepting the nomination, Tinubu said he was humbled by the support of party members and remained committed to the difficult task of rebuilding the country.
“I accept with profound humility and gratitude the nomination of our great party, the APC, to stand again as your presidential candidate in the 2027 election,” he said.
Speaking on the economic hardship that has followed his administration’s reforms, Tinubu said he understood the pain Nigerians were going through.
“I know what it takes to reform this nation we met in tatters. If you lost sleep, I’ve lost some too. If you’ve lost weight, I’ve lost some too.
“But I’ve always remembered one thing: in 2022, I asked for this job. You all supported me and I got it. So I must do it,” he said.
Tinubu said he monitored the primary exercise on television after casting his vote in Lagos on Saturday morning, adding that the large turnout across the country gave him encouragement.
“I was glued to the television after voting. I saw the mammoth crowd in Kano and Kaduna, the city boy walking the streets of Calabar.
“It was a good feeling to see that there was no bloodshed, no rancour. This is politics in earnest. This is where we want Nigeria, facing one focus,” he added.
Announcing the result, Chairman of the APC Presidential Primary Election Committee, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said Tinubu satisfied the requirements of the APC Constitution and guidelines.
According to Anyim, 12,643,306 members were registered for the exercise, 11,069,756 voters were accredited, while 11,015,665 votes were cast.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is therefore my duty as the returning officer for this primary election to declare President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, having satisfied the requirements of the APC Constitution and guidelines and scored the highest number of votes, winner of the presidential primary election and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general election,” Anyim said.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who also spoke after the exercise, said the outcome showed that the APC was growing stronger and was prepared to contest and win the 2027 election.
“APC is growing day by day, more robustly, stronger, more popular, ready to go into any contest at any time,” Uzodimma said.
He added that the party had become a credible platform with a verifiable membership register, saying its grassroots strength had placed it in a strong position ahead of the general election.
