Osita Okechukwu, a founding figure of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asserted that President Bola Tinubu’s sweeping victory in the party’s presidential primary underscores a commitment to internal democracy, a contrast he draws with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which is currently grappling with zoning disputes over its presidential candidate.
Speaking on Sunday, Okechukwu praised Tinubu’s overwhelming win and lauded the APC leadership for adhering to statutory procedures by implementing direct primaries across all 8,809 electoral wards nationwide for the first time in Nigeria’s history.
The former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria warned, however, that such a decisive victory comes with heightened expectations and significant challenges for the ruling party. He quoted the President, saying, “I’m just excited; they challenge me to do more.”
Okechukwu highlighted the impressive voter turnout figures from various states, interpreting them as a strong mandate from party members. He cited examples such as Ogun State’s 322,485 votes, Benue’s 374,787, Rivers’ 280,082, Delta’s 407,646, Abia’s 161,005, and Osun’s 100,880 votes.
He stressed that these impressive numbers place a heavy burden on the President, his 31 APC governors, and party legislators to deliver outstanding results in the 2027 general election. Expressing concern, he listed several obstacles: historically low voter turnout, widespread hunger, persistent insecurity, high unemployment, unreliable electricity, and a poor debt-to-service-revenue ratio.