A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tolu Bankole, has urged opposition politicians with presidential ambitions for the 2027 general elections to shelve their plans, describing any attempt to challenge President Bola Tinubu as futile.
Bankole, a member of the party’s National Working Committee, called on Nigerians to rally behind the President, whom he described as a visionary leader transforming the country.
“Those considering presidential ambitions for 2027 should abandon such pursuits. Any attempt to challenge President Tinubu will amount to financial recklessness,” he said.
Citing the 2023 presidential election results, Bankole noted 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 added that the President met the constitutional requirement of securing at least 25 per cent of votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“Today, the landscape has shifted dramatically,” Bankole said, citing a September survey by NOIPolls which he claimed showed the President’s approval rating had risen to 51 per cent, the highest since the start of his administration.
He highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, noting that over 440 road projects covering more than 2,700 kilometres were underway nationwide.
Bankole also cited foreign investment gains, saying infrastructure development had attracted over $50 billion in foreign direct investment and unlocked $8 billion in new oil and gas investments. Oil production, he added, had increased to 1.61 million barrels per day.
On government revenues, he claimed that aggregate revenues had more than doubled, with the Nigeria Revenue Service generating ₦28.3 trillion in 2025.
He also referenced the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme, aimed at delivering 100,000 housing units in three years, and said education and healthcare initiatives were ongoing, including ₦95.6 billion disbursed under the Student Loan Scheme and ₦110 billion invested in upgrading medical education across 18 universities.
Bankole further highlighted economic performance, noting that GDP growth reached 4.23 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, the fastest in four years, while the national minimum wage had been raised to ₦70,000 per month.
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He also mentioned the Compressed Natural Gas initiative promoting cleaner and more affordable fuel.
Quoting Tinubu’s New Year 2026 message, Bankole said the administration would accelerate the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, “aiming to bring at least 10 million Nigerians into productive economic activity.”
He dismissed criticism from opposition parties, including the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing their allegations against the government as baseless.
“The desperation of the opposition, comprising personalities without clear direction or genuine intentions for Nigeria, has been exposed,” he said.
Bankole maintained that the APC would continue to defend good governance and the rule of law, adding, “With President Tinubu at the helm, Nigeria and Nigerians are safe, prosperous, and poised for greatness.
He is indeed the father of a new Nigeria, where hope and possibilities abound.”