The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has announced the receipt of N100 million cash donation for the purchase of nomination for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
This is as it announced that he cash donation will suffice and urge other who have similar plans to jettision it.
The party leadership received the N100 million cash as donated by a coalition of Kogi State youths on Monday.
Receiving the Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, and the youth delegation at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, the National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, announced that no further donations for this purpose would be necessary.
He expressed surprise and delight at the gesture, noting that while other groups had made verbal commitments, the Kogi youths were the first to provide actual funds.
“With this payment, henceforth, I want to make an announcement that nobody should bother to bring money to buy a form for Mr President again, because the form has been procured in advance. This includes any other person that wants to make any payment to our account to procure a form for Mr. President, because Kogi youths have done the needful”, he stated.
The chairman confirmed that the N100 million was already deposited in the party’s account, dismissing any notion of the gesture being a mere “voice note” or “promissory note.”
Justifying the donation, the leadership of the Kogi youth group stated that the move was a response to the “green and positive” economic indices and the president’s commitment to security.
They cited the appointment of key officials from the state and the synergy between the federal government and Governor Ododo in tackling local security challenges as primary motivators.
Prof. Yilwatda praised the youth for their unique approach, noting that they did not come to the party to seek appointments or patronage.
“They are not saying ‘take us to Mr President, maybe give us something.’ They are saying ‘we want to buy the form for him.’ That is unique. You are a torchlight and an example to all the youths of Nigeria,” the chairman remarked.
Addressing concerns regarding the cost of forms for the 2027 cycle, Yilwatda hinted that the party is moving toward greater affordability to ensure the “poorest of the poor” and young leaders can contest.
“For us in the National Working Committee, money is not the priority; the priority is to allow inclusiveness. We want to make the party more accessible so that money shouldn’t be a barrier for you to contest in our party”, he said.
On his part, Governor Ododo described himself as a primary beneficiary of President Tinubu’s youth-inclusive governance.
He challenged the media to move beyond social media reports and visit Kogi State to witness the infrastructural transformation under his administration.
“In the history of this country, no government has ever given the youth a space as much as Mr. President has done,” Ododo said.
When asked if the youths were prepared for a potential upward review of the form’s price, the Kogi State youth leader, Mr. Mundi, assured the party that the coalition has already reserved additional funds exceeding the initial N100 million to cover any price adjustments.
