President Bola Tinubu has rebuffed lobbying efforts by the leadership of the Senate to secure automatic return tickets for the ruling partyโs sitting legislators ahead of the 2027 general elections, instead reaffirming the authority of state governors over the selection of candidates in their respective states.
This was as he formally empowered governors to drive the primaries process after a meeting with the state executives on Thursday evening.
Our correspondents gathered that the Presidentโs position has deepened anxiety among federal lawmakers, including several senators whose relationships with their governors have been strained.
ย The President made the decision at a closed-door meeting with the extended leadership of the Senate at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday evening.
Tinubu had earlier suggested that he would โdo everything within the partyโs powerโ to ensure the return of serving legislators, a promise that raised expectations in the National Assembly.
Multiple senior National Assembly sources familiar with the meeting said the senators had gone to the Villa specifically to press for Tinubuโs assurances.
ย The source said, โThe meeting was to plead for automatic tickets for senators but President Tinubu insisted that the governor of each state has the influence over candidates.
โThey made a case for continuity and stability and argued for automatic tickets, but the President was very clear in his response.