Thursday February 19, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
A member of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Durotolu Oyebode Bankole, has urged politicians nursing presidential ambitions for 2027 to reconsider their plans, declaring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is on course for a decisive re-election victory.
In a press statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Bankole described any attempt to challenge the President in 2027 as a “waste of resources”, insisting that Tinubu’s record in office and rising public approval have positioned him strongly ahead of the next general elections.
Citing the 2023 presidential election results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, Bankole recalled that Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rivals — Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, who polled 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party LP, who garnered 6,101,533 votes. He noted that the President also met the constitutional requirement of securing at least 25% of votes in two-thirds of the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the APC chieftain, the political landscape has since shifted in Tinubu’s favour. He referenced recent surveys by NOIPolls indicating that the President’s approval rating has risen to 51% a significant increase from earlier figures during his first year in office.
Bankole attributed the surge in approval to reforms in agriculture, economic stabilization and infrastructure development. He highlighted ongoing road projects across the country, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, as well as reported increases in foreign direct investment and oil production.
On housing, he pointed to the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme, which targets the delivery of 100,000 housing units nationwide. In education, he cited the Student Loan Scheme, which he said has disbursed over N95.6 billion to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries, alongside investments in medical education and renewable energy projects in tertiary institutions.
The APC official also referenced economic indicators, including a reported 4.23% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2025 and the increase of the national minimum wage to N70,000. He said the administration’s fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms were difficult but necessary measures to reposition the economy.
Responding to criticisms from opposition groups, including the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties ,CNPP, and the African Democratic Congress ,ADC, Bankole dismissed allegations of governance failures as politically motivated attempts to discredit the administration.
“The President remains focused on consolidating reforms and deepening social development”, he said, adding that 2026 has been designated as the “Year of Families and Social Development” to strengthen national cohesion.
He maintained that the APC would continue to defend what he described as the gains of the Tinubu administration, expressing confidence that Nigerians would reward the President with a landslide victory in 2027.
Tinubu, who assumed office on May 29, 2023, is expected to seek a second term at the expiration of his first mandate.