President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said he was expecting more politicians to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as preparations for the 2027 general elections begin to take shape.
Speaking during the APC Renewed Hope Agenda Summit held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, the President expressed satisfaction with the progress his administration and party had made.
Tinubu told party faithful, “You don’t expect people to remain in a sinking ship without a life jacket. I am happy with what we have accomplished and expecting more people to come; that’s the game.”
The event brought together the APC’s key leadership, including the National Working Committee, members of the National Assembly, and 22 state governors under the Progressive Governors Forum.
Together, they unanimously threw their weight behind Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
Tinubu noted that citizens were free to align with any political group, and his administration’s policies were attracting positive attention from inside and outside the country.
His words: “A one-party system is not suitable for democracy. We are one party ruling and carrying on with the aspirations of Nigerians.
“You don’t expect people to remain in a sinking ship without a life jacket. I am happy with what we have accomplished and expecting more people to come; that’s the game,” he was qouted as saying.
“I thank every one of you. I am thoroughly inspired. We are just halfway through the journey that started 24 months ago,” he said.
“Together, we pledged to confront Nigeria’s challenges head-on by rebuilding the trust, fostering prosperity and restoring our nation’s economic quest.
“Today, I am proud to affirm that our economic reforms are working. Nothing good comes easy in life. All of you have been through life, and sometimes, only hard decisions can make things easy in the future.
“We couldn’t just afford to spend the future of our children and unborn babies.
“Through our Renewed Hope Agenda, our administration pledged to tackle economic instability, improve security nationwide, reduce corruption, reform governance, and lift our people out of poverty.
“How fast could you have rebuilt this country? If you allow the arbitrage in the exchange rate to continue, that is the grandfather of corruption. You could see EFCC recover over seven hundred and fifty-something houses from one person,” he said.
The President admitted that the reforms were tough decisions but assured Nigerians they were necessary.
“Yes, we encountered challenges when we assumed office in May 2023, but we have made progress by implementing difficult, long overdue but necessary economic reforms.
“We have eliminated the arbitrage-driven multiple foreign exchanges, and our far-reaching tax reforms are coming.
“Because of the reforms, our country now attracts foreign direct investments that will ultimately create jobs and produce much-needed goods and services that will significantly improve the standard of living of our people,” he said.
