2027: Trader joins APC presidential race, purchases ₦100m forms to challenge Tinubu

2027: Trader joins APC presidential race, purchases ₦100m forms to challenge Tinubu

A trader from Edo State, Osifo Stanley, has joined the 2027 presidential race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after purchasing the party’s ₦100 million expression of interest and nomination forms to challenge incumbent President Bola Tinubu.

The development signals an early contest within the ruling party, coming just hours after allies of the president procured the same forms on his behalf ahead of the party’s presidential primary scheduled for 23 May.

Mr Stanley, described as a trader, completed the purchase of the forms on Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja, positioning himself as the first aspirant to publicly declare interest in the race against an incumbent.

His move was disclosed in a video shared on X by Imran Muhammad, senior special assistant on new media to the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda.

The announcement came shortly after the forms for Mr Tinubu were purchased by James Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State.

Mr Tinubu is seeking a second term in office and continues to enjoy widespread endorsements within the APC, including backing from governors elected on the party’s platform.

Mr Stanley had earlier hinted at his ambition during a press conference in Abuja, where he pushed back against suggestions that the president was sponsoring his candidacy.

“It is not strange to hear people say Tinubu is the one sponsoring me… I can categorically tell you that I have never benefited one kobo from him. If anybody has proof, let them show the world,” he said.

He argued that both the APC constitution and Nigeria’s electoral laws guarantee the right of any qualified member to contest for office, regardless of endorsements.

“There is no part of our party constitution that says that if anyone is endorsed, he automatically becomes the candidate of the party,” he added, noting that provisions of the law empower aspirants to seek party tickets freely.

Mr Stanley’s emergence comes amid a wave of endorsements for Mr Tinubu within the APC.

The party’s governors had earlier backed the president as its sole candidate for the 2027 election, reinforcing the perception that he would face no internal challenge.

In May last year, the ruling party also adopted him as its preferred candidate, a move that drew comparisons with the 2022 primaries, where multiple aspirants contested the ticket.

That contest featured several high-profile figures, including former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; former Minister of Labour Chris Ngige; former governors Yahaya Bello, Dave Umahi and Rochas Okorocha; former Senate President Ken Nnamani; current Senate President Godswill Akpabio; and former Speaker Dimeji Bankole, among others.

Several of them later stepped down in support of Mr Tinubu, despite having purchased the same ₦100 million forms.

The APC had, in a statement issued on 20 April, retained the cost of its presidential nomination forms at ₦100 million – ₦30 million for the expression of interest and ₦70 million for the nomination form, the same amount charged ahead of the 2023 elections.

Other categories of aspirants are required to pay varying fees. State assembly aspirants will pay ₦1 million for expression of interest and ₦5 million for nomination forms, while House of Representatives hopefuls will pay ₦1 million and ₦9 million, respectively. Senatorial aspirants are to pay ₦3 million and ₦17 million, while governorship aspirants will pay ₦10 million and ₦40 million.

The cost of the presidential forms underscores the high financial barrier to entry. At ₦100 million, it far exceeds the president’s total basic salary over a four-year term and is more than 1,000 times Nigeria’s ₦77,000 monthly minimum wage.