The Role of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the Development of APC

Last checked: 13 October 2026. This article is a neutral explainer based on published reports. It does not endorse any party or candidate, and where accounts conflict it says so.

No figure is more often linked to the APC’s rise than Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He helped create the party, supported its early leadership, saw it win in 2015 and then became its presidential candidate and president. This article sets out the documented stages of his role and the competing accounts of it.

Before the party: the ACN base

Tinubu governed Lagos State and led the Action Congress of Nigeria, the party with the largest bloc of governors among the groups that merged. According to his aide Bayo Onanuga, the ACN had six governors, while Buhari’s CPC had one and the ANPP had three or four. Onanuga adds that talks between the ACN and CPC began around 2011. Tinubu himself said earlier negotiations in 2011 failed but foreshadowed the 2013 merger.

The merger and the title National Leader

After the merger in 2013, Tinubu took the honorific title of National Leader of the APC. Commentators have described him as an architect of the coalition that carried Buhari to power in 2015. His supporters argue that without him there would not have been a Buhari presidency, as Onanuga put it, while others dispute how decisive he was. The CPC’s Buba Galadima, who later opposed the party’s direction, claimed that Buhari was against an alliance with Tinubu and that he arranged it himself.

The 2015 running-mate episode

The selection of a vice-presidential candidate shows how contested the accounts are. Tinubu has said that Yemi Osinbajo, his former attorney general in Lagos, was proposed as an excellent running mate. Chief Bisi Akande wrote that Buhari had promised to pick Tinubu, then asked for names from the South-West after concerns about a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and that Tinubu helped bring about Osinbajo’s selection. Others say Buhari only promised to partner with Tinubu. All of these accounts come from participants or commentators, so they should be read as claims.

Influence over chairmen

Akande’s account says Tinubu supported Odigie-Oyegun’s appointment as chairman. Reports on later chairmen also link Tinubu to the outcome: Daily Trust described Abdullahi Ganduje as Tinubu’s anointed candidate with the backing of governors in 2023, and ThisDay and Arise News described Yilwatda’s 2025 emergence as part of the president’s plan for 2027. These are journalists’ characterisations rather than confirmed facts, but they show how widely his influence is assumed.

The tension of 2023

Before the 2023 election, the naira redesign policy pitted Tinubu and close allies against the Buhari government, creating division in the party, according to reporting at the time. Tinubu also won the party’s primary and then the presidency, polling 8,794,726 votes or 36.61% in a field with strong opposition candidates. He lost Lagos, his home state, to Peter Obi by a small margin. Opposition parties protested about the transmission of results, and the courts and INEC handled the disputes.

As president and party leader

Since 2023, Tinubu has combined the presidency with a dominant party role. In May 2025 the party endorsed him for a second term, and he won its primary on 23 May 2026 by about 10.9 million votes against a single challenger who received about 16,500. INEC lists him with Vice President Kashim Shettima for the election on 16 January 2027. A string of governors have joined the APC over the past year, which the party credits to its governance and the opposition attributes to pressure. The APC rejects claims that it wants a one-party state.

Supporters and critics

Supporters say he built the coalition that ended the PDP’s long hold on power and then won a second historic transition for the party. Critics say that his control of the party limits internal competition, that consensus arrangements give delegates little real choice and that the party depends too much on one person. Commentators have also written critically about his conduct in the National Assembly leadership contest of 2015. These are opinions and should be treated as such.

A way to read the record

1. Separate documented events, such as dates and vote counts, from characterisations.
2. Identify who is telling the story and what they gain.
3. Look for accounts from people on different sides.

What we could not confirm

• The private promises made in 2014, since the accounts conflict.
• How much of each chairman’s selection was decided by Tinubu personally.
• The causes of governors’ defections beyond what they have said publicly.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tinubu a founder of the APC? He led the ACN, one of the merging parties, and is widely described as a key architect.

Is he the party’s candidate in 2027? Yes, with Kashim Shettima as running mate.

When is the election? 16 January 2027, with governorship polls on 6 February.

Key takeaways

Tinubu’s role runs from the ACN’s contribution to the merger, through his title as National Leader, to his presidency and candidacy. The documented parts are clear, while accounts of private negotiations are contested.

Sources checked

• ThisDay, “Tinubu: How We Plotted PDP’s Ouster” and “Akande: Buhari Promised to Pick Tinubu”
• Arise News, interview with Bayo Onanuga
• Daily Trust via PressReader, “Hurdles as Ganduje moves to stabilise APC”
• Premium Times and BusinessDay on the 2023 result and the 2027 candidates
• Kola King Substack and other commentary on the 2023 and 2015 politics