LAGOS — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday robustly defended the operational architecture of the ruling All Progressives Congress, describing the nationwide conduct of the 2026 presidential and legislative primaries as a definitive and powerful validation of internal democracy. Speaking to an expansive gathering of party faithful, local residents, and journalists in Lagos, the President emphasized that the sweeping internal electoral exercise has successfully expanded the frontiers of the nation's democratic process by returning real decision-making power directly to ordinary citizens at the municipal level.
The President shared these insights immediately after exercising his franchise during the APC Presidential Primaries at his ancestral voting base in Ikoyi-Obalende Ward L2, located within the heart of Lagos State. The high-profile exercise, which drew thousands of enthusiastic party members across the metropolitan area, served as the centerpiece for a broader national assessment by the presidency regarding the political health, maturity, and organizational resilience of the ruling party ahead of upcoming national elections.
President Tinubu arrived at the Ikoyi-Obalende voting center in the afternoon alongside his wife, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. The atmosphere at the ward was charged with political energy as a sprawling crowd of local party members lined the access roads to catch a glimpse of the nation’s leader. The presidential motorcade was received at the venue by a high-powered delegation of state executives and federal officials, led by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Also on the ground to receive the President were several key pillars of the APC structure and the federal cabinet, including Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, the Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress; Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment; and Mr. Wale Edun, the former Minister of Finance and a close economic adviser to the administration.
The presence of these top-tier political figures underscored the strategic importance of the Lagos primaries, which historically serve as a barometer for the party’s mobilization capability. After undergoing the mandatory accreditation and verification procedures established by the party's national electoral committee, the President and the First Lady cast their ballots in an orderly, highly transparent queue alongside grassroots members, signaling a symbolic adherence to egalitarian democratic practices.
After voting, President Tinubu addressed the press, expressing immense satisfaction with the peaceful atmosphere, high voter turnout, and visible enthusiasm displayed by the party's rank and file. He noted that the seamless execution of the direct primary model at the ward level effectively disproved critics who argued that large-scale internal party elections could not be managed peacefully without logistical breakdowns or internal friction.
The President stated that the ongoing exercise represented a pure distillation of grassroots politics, where artificial barriers are broken down to give every registered party member an equal stake in the destiny of the political platform. He noted that when ordinary citizens see their choices respected by party hierarchies, it builds deep institutional trust and strengthens the foundational pillars of national stability.
The President further elaborated on the philosophical necessity of inclusive primaries, stating that internal democracy is not merely a statutory box to be checked, but the lifeblood of sustainable democratic development. He argued that the peaceful and highly organized nature of the exercise proved that the ruling party has evolved institutionally, moving away from archaic systems of arbitrary imposition toward a more consultative, bottom-up approach to leadership selection.
Expanding his appraisal beyond the borders of Lagos State, President Tinubu offered a glowing assessment of how APC Governors and state party executives managed the rigorous electoral processes within their respective domains. He revealed that intelligence and field reports reaching the presidency from all thirty-six states indicated that the comprehensive machinery of the primaries had functioned with remarkable efficiency, adherence to guidelines, and transparency.
The President praised the progressive governors for demonstrating exceptional leadership in overseeing the complex, multi-tiered preparatory phases that led to the national primaries. He specifically highlighted their successful management of the foundational ward congresses, the subsequent Local Government Area congresses, the rigorous delegate accreditation procedures, the validation protocols, the comprehensive membership registration drives, and the final structural certification of the electoral process.
According to the President, the systematic execution of these phases across diverse geopolitical zones provides a clear benchmark for rating Nigerian democracy at an exceptionally high level. He maintained that when sub-national administrative structures work in sync with national guidelines, it creates a bulletproof electoral system that minimizes post-election litigation and fosters a genuine sense of shared victory among all contesting factions.
Reiterating the ideological core of his political philosophy, President Tinubu emphasized that the APC remains unyielding in its commitment to transparent, fair, and all-inclusive democratic processes. He asserted that the primary purpose of political parties in a developing economy is to serve as vehicles for social engineering and popular empowerment, giving the most vulnerable populations at the grassroots an unhindered opportunity to freely select their leaders and representatives.
The President argued that when the grassroots are cut off from the decision-making process, political institutions lose their legitimacy and become vulnerable to instability. By maintaining an open door policy where membership registration is verifiable and voting lines are accessible to all, the APC is actively institutionalizing a culture of accountability where leaders must remain perpetually responsive to the yearnings of the people who elected them.
In concluding his address, President Tinubu paid glowing tribute to the multi-sectoral coalition of stakeholders who worked behind the scenes to guarantee the integrity of the nationwide exercise. He praised the national and state electoral officials for their sleepless nights and structural meticulousness, the party leaders across all levels for maintaining discipline among their supporters, and the various security agencies for maintaining law and order without intimidating voters.
The President used the opportunity to issue a passionate appeal to all Nigerians, urging them to look beyond immediate political contests and focus on supporting long-term democratic institutions, statutory regulatory bodies, and national unity. He maintained that political contests are temporary, but the stability, security, and socio-economic progress of the Federal Republic of Nigeria remain permanent priorities that require collective dedication.
The administration, through this public declaration, reaffirmed its total commitment to upholding democratic ideals, implementing good governance, and executing bold socio-economic policies designed to improve the daily welfare of ordinary Nigerians while strengthening overall political stability and economic predictability nationwide.
