Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has urged President Bola Tinubu to faithfully uphold the mandate entrusted to him by Nigerians following his victory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election.
Dogara said history would ultimately judge the administration based on how effectively it responds to the expectations and aspirations of citizens.
Speaking after the APC presidential primary, the former Speaker described Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate as an “extraordinary, historic and thoroughly deserved” victory.
According to a statement issued in Abuja, Dogara congratulated the President on behalf of Bauchi State and in his role as a member of the APC Presidential Primary Election Committee.
Dogara, who also served as the Bauchi State Coordinator and Collation Officer during the exercise, said the outcome represented not just a personal win for Tinubu but also a strong endorsement of grassroots democracy.
Official results released after the nationwide direct primary showed that Tinubu secured 10,999,162 votes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while his only challenger, Stanley Osifo, polled 15,503 votes.
Dogara said the overwhelming margin reflected the confidence and trust millions of APC members placed in the President.
He noted that the result was more than a political statistic, describing it as a powerful affirmation of Tinubu’s leadership within the ruling party.
“Nearly eleven million Nigerians have entrusted the President with their hopes and aspirations,” Dogara stated, adding that the mandate carries enormous national responsibility.
The former Speaker also praised Tinubu’s decision to participate in the direct primary process introduced under the Electoral Act 2026, which replaced delegate voting with broader participation by party members at the grassroots.
According to him, despite being the incumbent President, Tinubu willingly subjected himself to the democratic process, a move Dogara described as an act of humility and commitment to democratic values.
He added that Tinubu not only signed the electoral reforms into law but also actively embraced the same process during the primary election.
Dogara said the APC committee was fully committed to ensuring the integrity of the exercise and expressed satisfaction with how the process was conducted nationwide.
The APC presidential primary was held across all 8,809 wards in Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, with party officials describing it as one of the largest internal party exercises in the country’s political history.
