Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergence as APC presidential candidate as key to deepening ongoing reforms and building a prosperous Nigeria.

In a congratulatory message issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in Abuja, Bamidele highlighted key achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration in the last three years.

Tinubu secured the APC ticket with a landslide 10.99 million votes in the presidential primary held nationwide on Saturday.

His sole challenger, Mr. Stanley Osifo, polled 16,503 votes.

Bamidele celebrated Tinubu’s victory, saying party members overwhelmingly endorsed his candidacy at the primary.

“I am therefore confident that your candidacy will help to fine-tune ongoing reforms across all sectors of the country and make us a prosperous nation. Your track record shows that you are an agent of change,” he stated.

The Senate Leader recalled that Tinubu assumed office when Nigeria’s economy was at its lowest ebb.

He said the President did not shy away from tough decisions but prioritised critical actions to secure future generations.

“You took the bull by the horns and confronted the problems head-on. This decisiveness has sparked economic progress in virtually every facet of our national life. No state is borrowing just to pay salaries any longer,” Bamidele noted.

He cited ongoing infrastructure projects as evidence of the administration’s focus on connectivity and growth.

These include the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto–Badagry Highway, alongside other strategic road projects linking Northern and Southern cities.

On education, Bamidele said the administration introduced the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, to boost access to tertiary institutions.

He disclosed that 1,197,626 students have registered with NELFUND, with 3,138,390 loan applications received.

According to him, 1,613,132 institutional loans have been processed while 1,525,528 upkeep loans have been paid.

At least N242 billion has been disbursed to tertiary students since the scheme began.

In the oil sector, Bamidele said strategic leadership under Tinubu increased production from 1.273 million barrels per day in April 2023 to 1.71 million bpd.

He also cited Central Bank of Nigeria data showing foreign reserves rose from $35.09 billion in June 2023 to $49.49 billion in May 2026.

The Senate Leader added that Nigeria’s economy has posted consistent growth: 2.74% in 2023, 3.4% in 2024, 3.9% in 2025, and 3.89% in the first quarter of 2026.

“So much has been done to reform and transform Nigeria. A lot more will still be done with the emergence of President Tinubu as the standard bearer of the APC,” he said.

Bamidele pledged political support for the campaign, saying he will mobilise votes from the South-west geopolitical zone.

“In my capacity as the Leader of the Senate, I assure you of at least 10 million votes from the South-west geopolitical zone of the country. The machinery to deliver those votes is already in motion,” he assured.