Dare Babalola
A former presidential aspirant and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a more influential stakeholder in the ruling party than former President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2023 general election.
Garba made the remarks in a post shared on X on Monday while reacting to a comment by another user, identified as MAMATEE, who questioned how Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket in 2023 without the backing of the party and Buhari.
Responding, Garba wrote that Tinubu’s political influence within the APC was widely known among insiders familiar with the party’s internal structure.
“As at the time His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu was running for President for the 2023 election, he was a far bigger stakeholder in the APC than even the then President, late Muhammadu Buhari,” he stated.
He added that Tinubu was known for operating strategically behind the scenes while allowing others to take the spotlight.
“Tinubu is simply excellent in leading from behind the scenes and allowing others to shine, to his credit,” Garba said.
In an earlier post, Garba warned aspiring politicians against seeking elective offices without first securing the support of party leaders and key stakeholders, especially within a well-established political platform like the APC.
According to him, it is unrealistic for new entrants to believe they can emerge victorious in party primaries without the backing of influential figures within the party.
“One of the major mistakes freshly aspiring candidates in political parties, especially a party as established, institutionalised and structured as the APC, is to think that you can come from the corners and get the ticket to win an election without the backing of the party stakeholders,” he wrote.
Garba also reflected on his own political journey, saying he had learned the importance of stakeholder support during his own presidential ambition.
He urged aspirants preparing for the 2027 elections to align with party leaders and pursue their ambitions in a way that would strengthen the political process.
“It is the season of politics, 2027 is fast approaching. Get involved, but do everything for the good of it,” he added.
