You Can See That The Governors Are Trying To Outdo Each Other To Want To Please Tinubu -Sambo

Sumner Sambo, ARISE News Director of News and Politics Editor, has alleged that the result of the recent APC presidential primary reflects a competition among governors to impress President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking on Arise News, Sambo made this statement while responding to the announcement that Tinubu secured about 10.99 million votes across the 36 states and the FCT. He said the figure raised questions, especially when compared to the actual membership of the party and the results of lower-level primaries held at the same time.

According to him, it is unusual for the presidential primary to produce higher numbers than House of Representatives and senatorial primaries in the same constituencies, given that local elections usually generate more grassroots excitement.

Sambo warned that Tinubu should be cautious of relying on these numbers, noting that the same pattern played out in 2018 when APC claimed Buhari won the primary with 14 million votes, only for the general election result to tell a different story.

He recalled that the direct primary system was introduced to reduce the influence of party elites and give ordinary members more say, a reform Buhari had long pushed for. Sambo welcomed the use of direct primaries but said the process is still vulnerable to manipulation and abuse.

He asserted that Tinubu will still face a different challenge in 2027, with strong contenders likely to emerge from other parties. He advised Tinubu to focus on real political strategy rather than being misled by figures produced to please him.

In his words, “Look, I have a federal constituency where the figures that were announced at the presidential primary are more than those of the House of Representatives primary. And you and I know that in local elections, there’s more excitement than presidential primaries.”

“How come the presidential election primary outcome is more than that of the constituency or even senatorial? When these are people who are closer to the grassroots, you can see that the governors are trying to outdo each other to want to please the president……See More