Tinubu’s 2027 Endorsement: A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former presidential aspirant, Charles Udeogaranya, has come down hard on the party’s leadership for endorsing President Bola Tinubu as the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election—without giving room for internal democracy.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Udeogaranya criticized the party’s National Working Committee and 22 APC governors for what he described as a hasty and undemocratic decision. His sharpest words? “There is no consensus in hunger, poverty and insecurity.”
The APC chieftain argued that endorsing President Tinubu without a primary election would silence other aspirants and kill off the opportunity for fresh ideas and a better Nigeria. According to him, creativity, nationalism, and progress cannot thrive in a political system that blocks fair competition.
“Democracy thrives on participation, not coronation. What we saw in Abuja was not democracy—it was a rubber stamp,” he said.
This reaction came less than 24 hours after Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, moved the motion for Tinubu’s endorsement at the APC National Summit in Abuja. The motion was quickly seconded by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, and unanimously adopted by other party leaders present.
But Udeogaranya didn’t hold back.
“While I respect the unity of purpose shown at the summit, it is dangerous to ignore the voices of millions of Nigerians who are suffering. We must give them options, not automatic tickets,” he added.
Quoting iconic democratic leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr., Udeogaranya reminded his party that democracy is not about convenience or consensus, especially when the country is facing what he described as “an economic quagmire and leadership failure.”
However, not everyone within the party shares his views. The Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, defended the endorsement, stating that President Tinubu has earned the “right of first refusal” and that the party will only consider other candidates if Tinubu steps aside voluntarily.
Still, Udeogaranya insisted that the party’s 2027 ticket should be open to all aspirants, just as it was when Tinubu himself contested and won the primaries in 2023.
