₦airaland Forum

Tinubu Rejects Senators' Plea For Automatic Return Tickets, Backs Governors’ Control

President Bola Tinubu has turned down a quiet lobbying effort by senators seeking automatic return tickets ahead of the next general elections, insisting instead that state governors retain decisive influence over candidate selection, a senior Senate source has revealed.

Tinubu on Wednesday met with the extended leadership of the Senate at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what lawmakers described as an “emergency and strategic” engagement following a closed-door executive session.

The delegation, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, arrived at the State House shortly after the upper chamber adjourned plenary, amid indications that the meeting was triggered by resolutions reached behind closed doors earlier in the day.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter), but did not disclose the substance of the deliberations.

A communication attributed to the Senate leadership and shared by Onanuga stated that “far-reaching decisions were taken at this strategic meeting, which deliberated on matters of urgent national importance.”

In a statement posted on social media, Bamidele said he joined the Senate delegation in discussions with Tinubu, adding that the engagement was convened in response to issues arising from the Senate’s executive session.

“Far-reaching decisions were taken at this strategic meeting, which deliberated on matters of urgent national importance,” he stated, without providing specifics.

However, a National Assembly source, who spoke with SaharaReporters on Thursday on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the meeting, said the lawmakers held the closed-door session with the president to press for assurances that sitting senators would be guaranteed party tickets without facing internal contests.

“The meeting was to plead for automatic tickets for senators but President Tinubu insisted that the governor of each state has the influence over candidates,” the Senate source said.

“They made a case for continuity and stability and argued for automatic tickets but the President was very clear in his response,” the source said.

Tinubu, the source added, rejected the proposal and emphasised the central role of governors in shaping party structures at the state level,including determining who emerges as candidates.

“He told them plainly that governors are the leaders of the party in their states and must have a say on who gets the ticket, ” the source disclosed.

https://saharareporters.com/2026/04/23/exclusive-tinubu-rejects-senators-plea-automatic-return-tickets-backs-governors-control

Emilokan have played all of them. Game on!

Racoon:
Emilokan have played all of them. Game on!

emilokan understand the game better.

Tinubu told them plainly that governors are the leaders of the party in their states and must have a say on who gets the ticket......

The party members or citizens no more decide but the mini-tyrants he has created. This is the government of the man that was mocking the opposition for wanting to destroy democracy. This is his own democracy. Tinubu and his cohorts have destroyed Nigeria!

The governors will select their preferred senators while he selects the governors. Under the so-called NADECO "democracy fighters", democracy have been overturned in favour of Baba sopé at both the federal and state levels. What a disgrace!

This is to tell you Naija is in soup if they let all these jaguda operate a one party state.

After falling over themselves to please the president, sometimes at the cost of the ire of the people, this is what they get. Worse still is that a good number of them have nothing physical to show in their respective constituencies as development projects because of the government obstinate refusal to release funds for capital expenditure. That's why they are being attacked by their constituents. Prior to what they're seeing now, they all had a different impression, that tickets would be an offer of first refusal for them when they were moving like a herd to the APC. Pity.

Use and dump . That is the best way to deal with these useless senators . Now the senators have to go back to the electorates they have betrayed

When the President said he backed the governors to decide, remember Rivers State no follow ooʻo!!!

Orji Uzor Kalu wouldn't want Otti to defect to APC at this crucial time

saintopus:
When the President said he backed the governors to decide, remember Rivers State no follow ooʻo!!!

Why Rivers state no follow

You mean that there's no governor in Rivers state

Are you implying that Rivers state has remain in perpetual state of emergency courtesy of Tinubu and the notorious drûñkàrd

chukslawrence:
Orji Uzor Kalu wouldn't want Otti to defect to APC at this crucial time

Orji uzor Kalu and Ben are in trouble, they are definitely cooked in the game cuz how will they make things work out between them and otti cuz otti this moment have upper hand in the game

Racoon:
This is the government of the man that was mocking the opposition for wanting to destroy democracy. This is his own democracy. Tinubu and his cohorts have destroyed Nigeria!

.

AMINDA:
The governors will select their preferred senators while he selects the governors. Under the so-called NADECO "democracy fighters", democracy have been overturned in favour of Baba sopé at both the federal and state levels. What a disgrace!

One by one. Don't trample on each other.

Kingsley1169:
Orji uzor Kalu and Ben are in trouble, they are definitely cooked in the game cuz how will they make things work out between them and otti cuz otti this moment have upper hand in the game

I don't pity that Orji Uzor Kalu.

When Otti was in APC. It was him and Ben who denied Otti a fair chance of contesting. They knew Otti was close to Tinubu and so, they maltreated Otti cos they didn't want Tinubu's person there.

ruzell86:
This is to tell you Naija is in soup if they let all these jaguda operate a one party state.

You will all learn politics of your life. It seems you don’t know the financial war chest of a governor.

That means Ned Nwoko of Delta can't return under APC

ruzell86:
This is to tell you Naija is in soup if they let all these jaguda operate a one party state.

Haba! Nigeria has been in soup since your people orchestrated the first Coup D’etat that derailed the glorious destiny of Nigeria in 1966.

Now, if you do not want your so-called “Jagudas” to operate a one party State, all you need do is gather all the disgruntled elements among your people to intensify their bullying & campaign of calumny against others (whose support they need so badly to foist your overnight Messiah) whom according to your people (is Angel Michael and not a member of the Association of Jagudas) on Nigeria.

Una go learn by fire by force.

What is the use of these senators sef ?

They are just wasting our scares resources to find their reckless life styles.

Normal normal, each state should not have more than one senator who should be payed minimum wage.

I don't even know why they are given money for constituency project when the state governors and local government chairman can handle those projects

Senators are law makers and not contractors.

Wickedfact:
I don't pity that Orji Uzor Kalu.

When Otti was in APC. It was him and Ben who denied Otti a fair chance of contesting. They knew Otti was close to Tinubu and so, they maltreated Otti cos they didn't want Tinubu's person there.

Summary: Ben out,Kalu out comes 2027

The war in APC will to sweet to watch.

St*paid law makers, all they do is shout ayi to every loan request from tinubu without knowing a thing about it
Because of their incompetent, tinubu has draged this nation into record debt

APC Implosion will be very interesting lol

Racoon:
Emilokan have played all of them. Game on!

U knw nothing about politics.

Elections is a game of numbers and grassroots control.nd strategist lobbying ..

AMINDA:
The governors will select their preferred senators while he selects the governors. Under the so-called NADECO "democracy fighters", democracy have been overturned in favour of Baba sopé at both the federal and state levels. What a disgrace!

Continue with your beer parlour analysis

Tinubu led APC and its politics of failure without any roadmap to the future is a catastrophe that has never happened to Nigeria since independence.Imagine people who have no Shame in destroying their own country as if they have another country apart from Nigeria..Tufiakwa!!!

Kingsley1169:
Orji uzor Kalu and Ben are in trouble, they are definitely cooked in the game cuz how will they make things work out between them and otti cuz otti this moment have upper hand in the game

Continue with your beer parlour analysis

The dumbest set of people in Nigeria today are the current members of the National Assembly that passed the Electoral Act 2026. Those people are incredibly foolish. I read how they made it impossible for even themselves to move to another party upon failing to get ticket at the primaries of their party and knew that these people were either hypnotized into passing that law or were too dumb to understand the implications of what they passed. Before now, there was nothing like if your name is not on the register of a particular party submitted to INEC, you cannot vie for primaries in the party. It made it easy for them to loose primaries in party A and move to party B the next day and get ticket to contest and win. Today, with the new Electoral Act, Every party must submit membership register to INEC not less than 21 days before primaries and if your name is not in the register submitted to INEC you cannot be nominated by the party. The implications is simple, once INEC receives your party's membership register before the primaries, it is over for you. Whoever the Governor gives ticket through consensus is binding on you and you cannot disagree and go to another party to clinch the ticket because your name could not have been in the other party's membership register. They enslaved themselves.

eldoradoxx:
The dumbest set of people in Nigeria today are the current members of the National Assembly that passed the Electoral Act 2026. Those people are incredibly foolish. I read how they made it impossible for even themselves to move to another party upon failing to get ticket at the primaries of their party and knew that these people were either hypnotized into passing that law or were too dumb to understand the implications of what they passed. Before now, there was nothing like if your name is not on the register of a particular party submitted to INEC, you cannot vie for primaries in the party. It made it easy for them to loose primaries in party A and move to party B the next day and get ticket to contest and win. Today, with the new Electoral Act, Every party must submit membership register to INEC not less than 21 days before primaries and if your name is not in the register submitted to INEC you cannot be nominated by the party. The implications is simple, once INEC receives your party's membership register before the primaries, it is over for you. Whoever the Governor gives ticket through consensus is binding on you and you cannot disagree and go to another party to clinch the ticket because your name could not have been in the other party's membership register. They enslaved themselves.

That means most of the rivers state senators and reps are not coming back

They are now dancing with the regea music in classics.
They used their hands to destroy themselves. They never see something.

The same man that told them you've all return