The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has described the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a major step toward deepening ongoing reforms and building a more prosperous Nigeria.
Bamidele made the remarks in a congratulatory statement issued on Monday through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in Abuja, following Tinubu’s landslide victory in the APC presidential primary election conducted nationwide on Saturday.
According to the Senate Leader, Tinubu secured 10.99 million votes to defeat his sole challenger, Mr. Stanley Osifo, who polled 16,503 votes.
Reacting to the outcome of the exercise, Bamidele said Tinubu’s emergence as the standard bearer of the APC would help consolidate reforms already initiated across critical sectors of the nation’s economy and governance.
“I am therefore confident that your candidacy will help to fine-tune ongoing reforms across all sectors of the country and make us a prosperous nation. Your track records show that you are an agent of change,” he stated.
The Senate Leader praised Tinubu for what he described as bold leadership and decisive economic policies since assuming office, noting that the president inherited an economy facing serious challenges but did not hesitate to take difficult decisions aimed at securing the future of the country.
According to him, Tinubu confronted Nigeria’s economic realities head-on, a move he said had stimulated progress across various sectors of national life.
“You became President when Nigeria’s economy was at its lowest ebb. You didn’t shy away from taking tough decisions. Rather, you prioritised critical actions to secure future generations,” Bamidele said.
He further claimed that states were no longer depending on borrowing to pay workers’ salaries, attributing the development to reforms introduced by the current administration.
Bamidele also highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects under Tinubu’s administration, including the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, describing Nigeria as “a massive construction site.”
He added that the projects, alongside other road networks across the country, would strengthen economic connectivity between northern and southern Nigeria.
On education, the Senate Leader commended the administration for introducing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said had expanded access to tertiary education for many Nigerians.
According to figures he provided, over 1.1 million students had registered with the scheme, while more than 3.1 million loan applications had been received. He stated that institutional and upkeep loans worth over N242 billion had already been disbursed since the initiative commenced.
Bamidele also pointed to improvements in the oil sector and external reserves, stating that Nigeria’s crude oil production had increased from 1.273 million barrels per day in April 2023 to 1.71 million barrels per day under Tinubu’s leadership.
He further cited data from the Central Bank of Nigeria indicating that the nation’s foreign reserves rose from $35.09 billion in June 2023 to $49.49 billion in May 2026.
The Senate Leader also referenced economic growth figures, saying Nigeria’s economy recorded growth rates of 2.74 percent in 2023, 3.4 percent in 2024, 3.9 percent in 2025, and 3.89 percent in the first quarter of 2026.
He maintained that the reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration had already begun transforming the country and expressed confidence that more progress would be achieved following the president’s emergence as APC presidential candidate.
“In my capacity as the Leader of the Senate, I assure you of at least 10 million votes from the South-West geopolitical zone of the country. The machinery to deliver those votes is already in motion,” Bamidele added.
