Presidential Aspirant Osifo Reveals Reason For Running Against Tinubu

President Tinubu had earlier secured a landslide victory in the APC presidential primary and, on Sunday, formally accepted his nomination as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Osifo said he decided to run against the President out of a desire to contribute to national development and strengthen democracy within the party.

He noted that the contest had concluded peacefully, stressing that the APC emerged with a clear winner.

“The election has come and gone, and we have a winner…we don’t have a loser in APC,” he said.

When asked about his motivation for challenging the President, Osifo explained that his decision was driven by the need to improve governance outcomes and ensure Nigerians benefit more from democratic dividends.

“The motivating factor is to say that we do work hard at what we’re doing to ensure that Nigeria gets better, and that we continue to dispatch to Nigerians the dividends of democracy, and more importantly, also to deepen democracy within our party,” he said.

Reacting to questions on whether he believed he could defeat Tinubu or was simply participating in the process, Osifo said it was not his first time contesting for the position and emphasized his respect for party structures.

“This is not my first time. I’ve done it before, and then this time around I came out for the same position,” he said.

He further stressed that loyalty to the party remains paramount, noting that internal party processes must be respected.

“In everything the party is supreme, and then loyalty to the party is very, very important. So, whatever we have done so far is done within the party. It’s an internal process, not external process,” he added.

Osifo also acknowledged that the process involved “a lot of intrigues,” but maintained that the party ultimately managed the situation effectively.

Commenting on reports that he received just one vote in his ward, he dismissed suggestions that it reflected a lack of support from his community.

“I wouldn’t say so. Think for every action there are reasons,” he said.