he dust has barely settled on the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary, and the political landscape is already vibrating with the aftershocks. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu didn’t just win the party's ticket for the 2027 race; he completely erased the competition, polling a staggering 10.99 million votes against his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, who secured just over 16,500.

Reacting to the landslide over the weekend, seasoned political analyst and former presidential aide Reuben Abati dropped a take on ARISE TV’s Morning Show that perfectly captures the mood of the moment: It’s time to start a "Tinubu School of Politics and Strategy."

According to Abati, the weekend’s events were less of a standard primary election and more of a masterclass in political dominance.

1. "The Owner of the Game"

Abati didn’t mince words. By securing nearly 11 million votes from within his own party infrastructure, Tinubu sent an unmistakable "demonstration effect" to the opposition.

"What President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done over the weekend is to show that he’s the owner of the game." — Reuben Abati

The message to candidates from opposition parties is clear, heavy, and daunting. Before the general election even begins, the ruling party has established a baseline of 11 million voters. For anyone else looking to occupy Aso Rock come 2027, the math is simple but terrifying: you have to build a base that can dwarf those figures just to stay in contention.

2. The Direct Primary Math Problem

While Abati acknowledged the strategic cleverness of the move, he also injected a healthy dose of signature skepticism regarding how those numbers came to be.

He pointed out the irony of a political party generating such massive, seamless numerical outcomes when, just days prior, basic logistics and arithmetic seemed to puzzle local organizers.

  • The Contrast: Intense logistical friction, local protests, and disagreements over direct vs. consensus primaries in various wards.

  • The Result: A pristine, towering figure of nearly 11 million total votes neatly collated at the center.

Abati noted dryly that when you look at the total number of people on the INEC national voters register, throwing down 11 million votes at the primary stage is an aggressive display of muscle. It leaves observers asking where the ceiling actually lies for the general election.