2027 Presidency: Upset in APC as chieftain picks forms to challenge Tinubu

Despite the gale of endorsements for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket, a chieftain of the party, Chief Osifo Stanley, surfaced at Abuja Continental Hotel on Tuesday evening to pick the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for the presidential race.

Checks revealed that the federal lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, Honourable James Faleke, had earlier in the day picked the same form for the incumbent president, Bola Tinubu.

Speaking with journalists, Chief Stanley said his mission was to add value to governance, maintaining that Tinubu has not done well in certain strategic sectors.

He said: “My mission is very simple and, as I said before, there are areas that Tinubu has not done well that we want to improve upon. Such areas include technology.

“My aspiration is anchored on transforming Nigeria into a nation driven by integrity, innovation, and inclusive development.”

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“I want to also make it very clear that nobody is sponsoring me. People accused me of the same thing when I came out in 2019 against President Buhari. I can boldly say that anybody can carry out an independent investigation to confirm if anybody is sponsoring me. I am not the kind of person you sponsor to do anything.

“I was kept for that long because the expectations of me picking the form were very low. And having picked the nomination forms, they were very surprised that they had to make consultations before giving me the forms. You are asking me the mode of primary, but it is not my responsibility to decide that. It is up to the party to make such a decision.”

He promised to run an inclusive administration that would show fidelity to the Federal Character Principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.

“We must build a system where fairness, equity, and justice prevail, and where every Nigerian feels a sense of belonging.
“The time has come for Nigeria to undergo a total transformation. Together, we can build a nation that works for all.”