2027: Tinubu stakeholders dismiss Galadima’s claims as grandstanding
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2027: Tinubu stakeholders dismiss Galadima’s claims as grandstanding
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF) has dismissed recent comments by elder statesman and opposition figure, Buba Galadima, that a proposed opposition alliance would unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, describing the remarks as baseless political grandstanding.
The Forum said the claims failed to reflect the current political and economic realities in the country, noting that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has, since assuming office, implemented far-reaching policies and programmes that have stabilised the economy and restored confidence in governance.
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Ahmad Sajoh, and Secretary, Danjuma Sada, TSF said the opposition had continued to ignore or downplay what it described as the tangible outcomes of President Tinubu’s reform agenda.
“Since assuming office, President Tinubu has implemented courageous reforms that have stabilised the economy and laid the foundation for sustainable growth,” the statement said.
READ ALSO: Group Hails Nigeria’s Top 10 GDP Ranking, Credits Tinubu’s Reforms
According to the Forum, early policy decisions such as the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates helped avert an impending fiscal collapse and repositioned the economy for recovery.
“His early moves—ending the fuel subsidy regime and unifying exchange rates—have since averted fiscal collapse and restored investor confidence. Inflation is slowing, oil production is rising, and key sectors are recovering,” TSF stated.
The group cited improvements in the oil and gas sector, noting that active oil rigs had nearly doubled under the Tinubu administration.
It added that data from Wood Mackenzie showed Nigeria leading Sub-Saharan Africa in 2025 with $5.3 billion in oil and gas investments, despite an 18 per cent decline across the region.
It further claimed that Nigeria moved from capturing just four per cent of sanctioned African projects between 2015 and 2023 to 38 per cent in the 2024–2025 period alone.
Beyond macroeconomic indicators, the Forum pointed to what it described as transformative, people-centred policies introduced by the administration.
“These include raising the national minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, a landmark student loan programme that has disbursed ₦161.97 billion to over 864,000 students across 263 public institutions, and a historic increase in federal allocations to states—₦5.81 trillion in 2024, representing a 62 per cent rise from ₦3.58 trillion in the previous year,” the statement read.
On education and youth empowerment, TSF commended the nationwide Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme aimed at empowering one million young Nigerians.
It said more than 250,000 youths were already enrolled across 2,600 centres nationwide, receiving hands-on training in areas such as fashion, modern agriculture and technology repairs.
“Participants earn ₦22,500 monthly stipends and receive starter packs to launch small businesses. With over 960,000 verified applicants and Bank of Industry support underway, the programme is redefining youth entrepreneurship,” the Forum said.
TSF argued that Nigeria’s economic recovery was now being validated both locally and internationally, contrary to the narrative being pushed by opposition figures.
It referenced reports by The Economist, which it said indicated that Nigeria’s economy, once on the brink, was now on a clear growth trajectory driven by decisive reforms, including subsidy removal and exchange-rate unification.
The Forum also recalled comments by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who reportedly warned that without President Tinubu’s interventions, at least 27 states would have been unable to pay salaries or carry out basic government functions.
According to TSF, improved revenues and enhanced fiscal discipline had enabled many states to clear long-standing pension and gratuity backlogs.
The group further linked the defection of politicians to the ruling party to what it described as the reform-driven stability of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the collapse of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) experiment following the exit of its only governor illustrated the weakness of opposition platforms.
“For us, this reform-driven stability is what is attracting Nigerians and even former opponents to align with President Tinubu,” the Forum said, adding that the much-touted opposition alliance was merely a “recycled coalition of ambition” lacking cohesion and a credible vision.
“No hastily assembled alliance can erase the mandate freely given by the Nigerian people,” TSF said.
The Forum urged Galadima and other opposition figures to come to terms with what it described as the scope and depth of President Tinubu’s reforms, stressing that governance required vision, courage and long-term thinking rather than what it called “empty rhetoric and recycled alliances.”
It maintained that while the opposition remained fixated on political calculations, President Tinubu was focused on laying a solid structural foundation for a prosperous and self-reliant Nigeria.
