The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election, urging Nigerians to choose a builder over former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Adeyeye, who described Tinubu as a builder and criticised Atiku for moving between political parties, spoke during an interaction with journalists in Abuja on Monday.
He said Tinubu had demonstrated leadership through economic reforms, infrastructure development and policies aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians, adding that the President deserved another term to consolidate his achievements.
Adeyeye said Tinubu had prioritised the maritime sector through the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and the approval of Nigeria’s first National Policy on Blue Economy in May 2025.
He said the acquisition of new tugboats, pilot cutters and dredgers had helped reduce waiting times at Apapa Port, where trucks previously spent up to three weeks and ships waited for as long as 20 days.
He stated, “We cleared the Apapa gridlock. The 20-year gridlock is gone, with ETO call-up and new roads. What took three weeks now takes hours. Lagos is free. We are digitising. Soon, you will clear cargo in 48 hours from your phone, not 21 days.We created Naira-for-Crude for our refineries.
“We are building new ports—I bom, Bakassi, Agie, Ondo, Badagry and Bonny. The result? The revenue of all maritime agencies moved from N700.79 billion in 2023 to N1.83 trillion in 2025 – a 160 per cent increase.
“The World Bank ranked Apapa and Tin Can among the top 20 most improved ports in the world. Four years of zero piracy. After 14 years, Nigeria is back on the IMO Council—in November 2025. And he released the Cabotage Fund, which had been locked up for 20 years.
“This is how you diversify the economy. Not by selling it. Which brings me to Atiku. My brothers, a man who cannot build a political party cannot build Nigeria, a country of 230 million people. Peoples Democratic Party to Action Congress to PDP to APC to PDP to ADC. Six parties in 19 years. At the slightest crisis, he runs to Dubai. If he cannot stay to fix the PDP that made him Vice-President, how will he stay to fix Nigeria?”
Adeyeye urged Nigerians to give Tinubu another term to consolidate his reforms, saying the President had undertaken difficult measures and should be allowed to complete the process of economic recovery.
He continued, “When Obasanjo wanted to crush him, where did he run to? Bourdillon. To Tinubu. Tinubu gave him AC. Gave him a platform. A man who ran to Tinubu for refuge now wants to challenge Tinubu? Asiwaju is his master in politics and nation-building. He lives in Dubai, comes only when election time comes, loses and runs back.
“His only plan is to sell. As chairman of the privatisation committee, he sold NITEL, NICON and Ajaokuta—all died. Now he wants to sell NNPC and our new ports. Tinubu built. He built AD, built Action Congress of Nigeria, built APC. He built Lagos from N600 million to N51 billion in IGR. He built a party, built a city and is now building a nation.
“Atiku only jumps. Defect, contest, lose, run away. Nigerians must choose: Builder or Jumper? Stayer or Tourist? A President who pays you while you are alive, or one who lets you die waiting? Tinubu has done the painful surgery. Let us allow him to complete the healing.”
The senator said concerns over the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket contributed to the party’s poor performance in Lagos and much of southern Nigeria during the 2023 presidential election, as some church leaders and Christians feared it was an attempt to Islamise the country.
He added that many Nigerians had since realised that Tinubu was liberal-minded and that his reforms were aimed at improving the country. He expressed confidence that the President would win across the South in 2027.
Adeyeye also predicted that the APC would win at least 70 per cent of the votes across the North-Central in the 2027 presidential election. He expressed confidence in the party’s chances in Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau and Benue states.
Speaking about the North-East, he said, “Then you come to the North-East. The North-East has states like Borno, where our Vice-President comes from. He had a very good track record there, same with his successor, who is outgoing now, Zulum. These are very good governors. Sixteen years of very good governance. The people are comfortable with APC.
“Then you go to Yobe. Yobe is like a one-party state. You come to Bauchi. We may have issues in Bauchi because the government there used to be in the PDP but is now in the APM. But let’s even concede that we have a little issue in Bauchi. What about Gombe? Gombe, no. We are going to win Gombe hands down, and our party will win Adamawa too.
“Then you come to Taraba State. I think this time around, the people have seen the President, and the governor has moved into the APC. I believe that we are going to win in Taraba State. President Tinubu will get the majority of the votes and win in both the North and the South come January 16, 2027.”