President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appeared to mistakenly refer to himself as a governor while speaking at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election in Abuja.
The verbal slip occurred on Wednesday, October 14, as Tinubu acknowledged party leaders and members of the newly inaugurated campaign council at the Presidential Villa.
“…In recognition of the director general of the presidential campaign council that will bring Governor Bola Tinubu back for second time,” the President said.
The remark appeared to confuse his current position as Nigeria’s President with his former office as governor of Lagos State, which he held from 1999 to 2007.
Tinubu is seeking a second four-year term in the 2027 presidential election. The APC inaugurated its campaign council as part of preparations for the contest, with the structure expected to coordinate campaign messaging, mobilisation and political activities nationwide.
Tinubu’s 2023 Campaign Remarks Resurface
The latest verbal slip has drawn comparisons with remarks Tinubu made during campaign appearances ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
During that campaign, he urged Nigerians to vote for “PDAPC”, an apparent mix-up involving the names of political parties. At another event, he made the phrase “A town hall, different from balablu-blu-bulaba,” which also attracted public attention.
The remarks became widely discussed during the 2023 campaign, when Tinubu was the APC’s presidential candidate.
However, a verbal slip on its own does not establish anything about a speaker’s health or fitness for office. The incident at the campaign council inauguration is best understood in the context of the words used during the speech.
APC Steps Up Preparations for 2027
The inauguration marks another step in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 election, as political parties and candidates build campaign structures ahead of the polls.
The Bureau Journal has been tracking the developing campaign landscape, including the role of Abdulaziz Abdulaziz in Tinubu’s 2027 campaign communication structure and the expansion of grassroots mobilisation efforts across Northern Nigeria.
Other reports have examined political organisation and candidate preparations, including the emergence of APC senatorial candidates ahead of the 2027 elections and the activities of support groups such as BAT Vanguard in the campaign council structure.
Tinubu’s campaign preparations are also unfolding amid wider scrutiny of candidates and electoral issues. The Bureau Journal has previously examined INEC’s explanation for not publishing Tinubu’s primary and secondary school certificates among the documents made public ahead of the 2027 election.
The latest remark at the inauguration is likely to remain part of public discussion about the President’s campaign appearances. The central fact, however, is that Tinubu referred to himself as “Governor Bola Tinubu” while speaking about returning for a second term as president.
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