President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, admitted that the economic reforms pursued by his administration have been grueling, revealing that he has personally lost sleep and weight alongside Nigerians bearing the brunt of the policies.

Tinubu made this disclosure at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, shortly after he was declared the winner of the All Progressives Congress presidential primary, officially accepting the party’s ticket for the 2027 general elections.

Addressing party leaders, governors, and supporters, the President stated that he shares in the collective anguish of the nation over the past three years.

However, he maintained that the sweeping fiscal and economic reforms were necessary to rescue a country he met in bad shape.

“I know what it takes to reform this nation we met in tatters. If you lost sleep, I’ve lost some too. If you’ve lost weight, I’ve lost some too,” Tinubu said.

“But I’ve always remembered one thing: in 2022, I asked for this job. You all supported me and I got it. So I must do it.”

Accepting the mandate to fly the ruling party’s flag once again, the President declared: “I accept with profound humility and gratitude the nomination of our great party, the APC, to stand again as your presidential candidate in the 2027 election.”

Tinubu, who polled 10,999,162 votes to defeat his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo (who scored 16,503 votes), praised the peaceful conduct of the direct primary held across all 774 local government areas and 8,809 wards nationwide on Saturday.

Reflecting on the exercise, he noted that the rancour-free process was a testament to Nigeria’s maturing democracy.

“I was glued to the television after voting. I saw the mammoth crowd in Kano and Kaduna, the city boy walking the streets of Calabar.

“It was a good feeling to see that there was no bloodshed, no rancour. This is politics in earnest. This is where we want Nigeria, facing one focus,” he stated.