By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
A pro-Tinubu political pressure group, the Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF), on Tuesday dismissed claims by elder statesman Buba Galadima that an opposition alliance could dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, describing the assertion as political theatre disconnected from Nigeria’s current economic and governance realities.
The group said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform-driven administration has fundamentally altered the country’s fiscal and economic trajectory, making opposition rhetoric about power takeover “empty politics.”
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Ahmad Sajoh, and Secretary, Danjuma Sada, the Forum accused opposition figures of deliberately ignoring what it described as measurable outcomes of Tinubu’s policies since he assumed office.
According to TSF, Tinubu’s early decisions particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of foreign exchange rates averted an imminent fiscal crisis and restored investor confidence in Africa’s largest economy.
The group said inflationary pressures are easing, oil output is improving and critical sectors are showing signs of recovery.
It cited industry data indicating that active oil rigs have nearly doubled under the current administration and that Nigeria led Sub-Saharan Africa in oil and gas investment in 2025, attracting $5.3 billion, despite an 18 per cent decline across the region.
TSF added that Nigeria’s share of sanctioned African energy projects jumped from 4 per cent between 2015 and 2023 to 38 per cent in 2024–2025, a shift it attributed to improved policy clarity and fiscal discipline.
Beyond macroeconomic indicators, the Forum pointed to what it described as pro-people reforms, including the increase of the national minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
It also highlighted the student loan scheme, under which ₦161.97 billion has reportedly been disbursed to over 864,000 students in 263 public tertiary institutions, calling it a landmark intervention in access to education.
On subnational finances, TSF noted that federal allocations to states rose to ₦5.81 trillion in 2024, representing a 62 per cent increase from ₦3.58 trillion in the previous year.
In education and youth empowerment, the Forum praised the administration’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme targeting one million young Nigerians.
It said more than 250,000 participants are already enrolled in 2,600 centres nationwide, learning practical skills ranging from fashion and modern agriculture to technology repairs.
Participants, the group noted, receive ₦22,500 monthly stipends and starter packs to establish small businesses, adding that over 960,000 applicants have been verified, with Bank of Industry support being finalised.
TSF argued that Nigeria’s recovery is now gaining international validation, citing recent assessments by The Economist, which reportedly noted that the economy has shifted from the brink toward a growth trajectory driven by subsidy removal and exchange-rate reforms.
The Forum recalled comments by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who said that without Tinubu’s reforms, no fewer than 27 states would have been unable to pay salaries or carry out basic governance functions.
It added that many states are now clearing long-standing pension and gratuity backlogs due to improved revenues and tighter fiscal management.
Against this backdrop, TSF described the talk of a united opposition as “a recycled coalition of ambition,” lacking coherence, credibility and a shared vision.
It pointed to the decline of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) following the exit of its only governor as evidence of what it called the exhaustion of political experiments promoted by figures such as Galadima.
“No hastily assembled alliance can erase the mandate freely given by the Nigerian people,” the group said.
The Forum concluded that Tinubu’s reforms are not symbolic gestures but structural interventions that demand long-term thinking and political courage qualities it said are absent in what it described as an opportunistic opposition.
While critics focus on coalition arithmetic, TSF said, the President is laying foundations for a self-reliant and prosperous Nigeria.
