By 247ureports.com
President Bola Tinubu referred to himself as a governor on Wednesday while speaking at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council for the 2027 election, in a verbal slip captured on video and widely shared online.
Tinubu made the remark at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja while acknowledging party leaders and members of the council. “And next will be the recognition of the director general of the presidential campaign council that we bring Governor Bola Tinubu back for second time,” he said, according to the video. At least one account says he then corrected himself and said “President Bola Tinubu back for second term.” Tinubu was governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 before becoming president in 2023.
The council that Tinubu inaugurated has him as chairman and Vice-President Kashim Shettima as vice-chairman, with former Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari as director-general. Its members include APC national chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly elections for February 6.
The slip adds to a list of verbal stumbles that critics have catalogued since the 2023 campaign, including a call to vote for “PDAPC” and an occasional near-mention of the Peoples Democratic Party, which he corrected to the APC at a rally in Jos. It has been circulating at a time of intense online speculation about the president’s health, which the Presidency has repeatedly dismissed, and Tinubu has said publicly that he is healthy and ready to work. A slip of the tongue is not evidence of any medical condition, and supporters have argued that the mix-up is natural for a man who spent eight years as governor. The Presidency had not commented on the video at the time of this report.
