President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said he was expecting more politicians to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The President, who said he was happy with what his administration and the party had achieved, said he did not expect people to remain in “a sinking ship without a life jacket.”

He said defection was part of the game.

According to a statement on Thursday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the President spoke at the APC Renewed Hope Agenda Summit, held at the State House Conference Centre on Thursday.

Tinubu addressed party leaders, the National Working Committee, the leadership of the National Assembly, and the Progressive Governors’ Forum, which comprises 22 governors.

All of them collectively endorsed him for a second term.

The President said his administration’s focus on economic reforms for long-term gains has continued to receive positive reviews from within and outside the country.

A one-party system is not suitable for democracy. We are one party ruling and carrying on with the aspirations of Nigerians.“

You don’t expect people to remain in a sinking ship without a life jacket. I am happy with what we have accomplished and expecting more people to come; that’s the game,” he was quoted as saying.

The President said citizens have the constitutional right to choose between associations.

I thank every one of you. I am thoroughly inspired. We are just halfway through the journey that started 24 months ago,” he said.

The President thanked members of the Federal Executive Council for courageously pursuing the vision of a better Nigeria and the party leadership and National Assembly for their support.

“Together, we pledged to confront Nigeria’s challenges head-on by rebuilding the trust, fostering prosperity and restoring our nation’s economic quest.”

Today, I am proud to affirm that our economic reforms are working. Nothing good comes easy in life. All of you have been through life, and sometimes, only hard decisions can make things easy in the future.

We couldn’t just afford to spend the future of our children and unborn babies.

Through our Renewed Hope Agenda, our administration pledged to tackle economic instability, improve security nationwide, reduce corruption, reform governance, and lift our people out of poverty.

How fast could you have rebuilt this country? If you allow the arbitrage in the exchange rate to continue, that is the grandfather of corruption. You could see EFCC recover over seven hundred and fifty-something houses from one person,” he said.

The President admitted that the reforms were tough decisions but assured Nigerians they were necessary.

Yes, we encountered challenges when we assumed office in May 2023, but we have made progress by implementing difficult, long overdue but necessary economic reforms.

We have eliminated the arbitrage-driven multiple foreign exchanges, and our far-reaching tax reforms are coming.

Breaking News!
A fire has broken out in a two-story building at Balogun Fulani, Ilorin.
The incident occurred today, 23/5/2025, at approximately 3:35 PM.
Residents of the community noticed smoke coming from the windows on the second floor of the building. They made every effort to extinguish the fire before the arrival of the Kwara State Fire Service. The fire service thoroughly inspected the premises to ensure that the fire was completely put out.

Still on the Ilorin Durbar: How N150 Million Hijacked Tradition and Twisted the Narrative
Wahab Oba
23/05/’25

Let me begin by stating unequivocally that I hold our revered traditional institution and His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin, in the highest esteem. I am not oblivious to the weight of tradition, the sanctity of the palace, and the need for decorum in times of controversy. However, when sacred traditions are manipulated, when cultural legacies are hijacked for transient political gains, and when silence becomes complicity, the truth must be told, no matter how uncomfortable. This is what informed this writeup.

I have been reliably informed by a respected member of the Ilorin Durbar Committee, under the condition of anonymity, about the behind-the-scenes drama that culminated in the release last night of the controversial statement signed by Engr. Yahaya Alapansapa, Chairman of the Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee.

What I learned paints a disturbing picture of a revered cultural institution reduced to a political pawn in the hands of those who would rather exploit the Durbar as a tool of political leverage than preserve it as a symbol of unity and pride for the Ilorin Emirate.

This is not hearsay or idle speculation. The facts are in the open: the letter written by the Durbar Committee to the Kwara State Government begging for money to organise the Durbar; the pitiful financial state that prompted the appeal; the N150 million offer dangled before them; and the suffocating conditions tied to it. For those who hold the Ilorin Durbar sacred, this sequence of events is nothing short of sacrilege.

The deal, reportedly brokered under duress, saw the Committee, under the leadership of Engr. Alapansapa capitulate to the State Government’s political demands for control over the 2025 Durbar. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, allegedly angered by the Committee’s “neutrality” regarding Senator Saliu Mustapha’s pavilion project, is said to have pressured them into submission: accept the N150 million sponsorship only if you dance to the government’s tune.

With barely three weeks to the Durbar and only about N5 million raised from a few well-meaning sons and daughters of the Emirate, the Committee had no choice but to turn cap-in-hand to Governor AbdulRazaq for a lifeline. But that lifeline came with strings attached.

In return for the State Government’s financial support, the Committee was allegedly instructed to, among other things, publicly disassociate itself from and misrepresent the facts surrounding Senator Mustapha’s pavilion project; recognize Governor AbdulRazaq as the sole sponsor of the 2025 Durbar; exclude political opponents, especially former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Senator Saliu Mustapha, Hon. Moshood Mustapha, and Mallam Lukman Mustapha from the celebrations; and for the first time, allow the conspicuous presence of the Governor’s lackey and anointed 2027 gubernatorial stooge.

Within 48 hours of this closed-door arrangement, the Committee released a public statement that bore the unmistakable fingerprints of government dictation. The tone, the omissions, and the narrative slant all pointed to a carefully orchestrated move to politicize what is supposed to be a celebration of heritage and identity.

Even more troubling is the Committee’s sudden erasure of history. As recently as 2018, during the tenure of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Ilorin Durbar was revived in grand style. Both former Governor Ahmed and Senator Bukola Saraki played pivotal roles in restoring the Durbar’s dignity and glamour. Today, their names are deliberately omitted from the records in an act of historical revisionism. For what? A few wads of cash and political convenience?

The real tragedy here is that the Ilorin Durbar, meant to celebrate our shared history and unity, is now being reduced to a partisan jamboree. What should have been an honorable gesture of cultural support has become a veiled campaign rally.

Let it be clear: the Ilorin Durbar belongs to the people. It is a sacred tradition of the Emirate, not a tool in any governor’s reelection or succession strategy. It must not be held hostage by manipulation or financial coercion.

The Durbar Committee, peopled by otherwise respected sons and daughters of the Emirate, should have resisted this compromise. They should have stood firm in defence of our heritage, not surrendered it at the altar of political expediency.

The people are watching. And history, unlike money, never forgets.