2027: Tinubu Tells APC Campaign Council to Mobilise Nigerians as He Focuses on Governance

ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu has directed members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to take the party’s message to every state and local government area, declaring that he would not sacrifice governance for campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking yesterday at the inauguration of the campaign council in Abuja, Tinubu said the responsibilities of his office, Nigeria’s financial obligations and the need to sustain investor confidence would prevent him from attending every campaign rally.

The President urged party leaders to handle grassroots mobilisation while he continued to manage the affairs of the country.

“You have warned me and asked me not to allow rigours of the campaign distract me from governance. I hear you. I am in full agreement with your decision,” he said.

“Nigeria needs more attention now than ever before. The responsibility of this office does not pause.”

Tinubu said he would still find opportunities to address Nigerians directly as the campaign council coordinated political activities across the country.

“The job must go on. However, I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians, even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas, so you will excuse me from going everywhere with you,” he said.

Explaining the need to remain focused on governance, the President said the government had financial commitments to meet and needed to encourage investors to make long-term investments in Nigeria.

“We have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait. We want those investors to come in, be here to stay, to invest for the future of our children,” he said.

He told party leaders that the campaign council’s inauguration represented a renewed commitment to Nigerians and the responsibilities entrusted to the APC as the governing party.

“We have not gathered merely to inaugurate a council, we have gathered to renew a covenant, a covenant with the Nigerian people and the historic responsibility they have thrust to us as Nigeria’s governing party,” he said.

Tinubu charged members to take the administration’s record, policies and vision to the electorate, insisting that the party must work for victory at the ward level.

“This council will carry our vision, our record and our agenda to every Nigerian, and it will carry them to victory,” he said.

He described the APC as “strong, united and renewed” but warned that the party could not rely on its previous electoral performance.

“I thank all of you for the last election, but no one gets credit for an incomplete assignment. Until you deliver the next election, until you deliver your words, until you deliver the votes, before we can say thank you,” Tinubu said.

He praised members for conducting their party congresses successfully despite concerns that the exercise could lead to internal divisions.

“They said there will be implosion. We passed through it. We did not fail. You didn’t let us down. We got here together,” he said.

The President also urged the APC to remain committed to fighting poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and underdevelopment.

“That broken shackle represents nothing but breaking the shackle of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy, inaction and failure. We must break the jinx at the back of poverty in this country,” he said.

Shettima questions Obi’s economic model, challenges Atiku on subsidy

Vice-President Kashim Shettima criticised opposition figures Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar over their economic proposals, defending the Tinubu administration’s policies as preparations for the 2027 election gathered momentum.

Shettima took issue with Obi’s comparisons between Nigeria and other countries, especially Bangladesh, arguing that economic policies must reflect a nation’s population, institutions, economic structure and unique circumstances.

Describing Obi as “my very good friend,” he said: “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”

The Vice-President argued that a country with more than 250 million people could not be governed effectively through economic prescriptions borrowed from other nations without appropriate adjustments.

“What succeeds in Bangladesh cannot simply be transplanted to Nigeria without accounting for the differences in our population, economic structures, institutions and national circumstances,” he said.

“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities.”

He also dismissed Obi’s assertion that he won the 2023 presidential election, describing it as a “bogus claim” and saying it lacked supporting evidence.

“This is called delusion of grandeur,” Shettima said, describing the APC’s political contest as “the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow’s deliverance.”

Obi, who contested the 2023 election on the Labour Party platform, finished third behind Tinubu and Atiku. He has consistently criticised the administration’s economic policies, arguing that Nigeria’s principal challenge is the management of public funds rather than borrowing.

Shettima also challenged Atiku’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

Atiku, who is the ADC presidential candidate, has argued that his proposed subsidy would be tied to production, targeted at specific needs, capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited. He has said the approach would support domestic refining rather than revive the previous import-dependent system.

On October 9, Atiku described the Federal Government’s 30-day petrol discount at NNPC retail outlets as “too limited and selective,” renewing his demand for a production-based subsidy.

Shettima questioned how Atiku intended to finance the proposal and what other government priorities might have to be sacrificed.

He described the political season as “a masterclass in cinematic comedy,” accusing the former Vice-President of abandoning his long-standing ideological position for political expediency.

Shettima said Atiku had worn “the toga of capitalism with pride throughout his political career” but now sounded like “the legitimate offspring of Vladimir Lenin.”

“Who pays? Who benefits? And which competing priorities must surrender their funding? A change of ideological wardrobe cannot balance a national budget,” he said.

The Vice-President maintained that presidential ambition must be accompanied by discipline, intellectual maturity and responsible engagement with public institutions.

“The higher the office a person seeks, the greater the discipline expected in his words, conduct and relationship with public institutions,” he said.

Wike: Campaign positions mean nothing without electoral victory

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, warned APC governors and other campaign officials that their positions in the Presidential Campaign Council would be meaningless if they failed to deliver their states for Tinubu.

Wike, appointed to coordinate the President’s campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, promised to mobilise support for the APC in both territories.

He said the council should focus on securing the President’s re-election rather than the titles or responsibilities assigned to individual members.

“If you don’t deliver your state and the President wins, don’t say we have won. It is not a question of ‘I am chairman of this’, ‘I am secretary of this’, ‘I am a member of this’. What is important is for the President to win,” he said.

Wike said electoral performance should also be expected of senior government officials, using Lagos as an example.

“I told the Chief of Staff to the President the other day: as Chief of Staff, if the President would win but you don’t win in Lagos, don’t say we have won, because you did not win,” he said.

The FCT minister, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, defended his backing of Tinubu despite his opposition-party affiliation.

He argued that belonging to an opposition party should not prevent a politician from acknowledging policies considered beneficial to the country.

“As an opposition party member, as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, there are no two leaders of the PDP. I am the leader of the PDP. So I speak on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party,” Wike said.

He added that democracy required fairness in evaluating government performance.

“Democracy is not that if the ruling party is doing well, because you are opposition, you say they are not doing well. That is not democracy,” he said.

Wike commended Tinubu for confronting difficult issues, including the proposed creation of state police, which he believes could help address insecurity.

He expressed confidence that the constitutional process required to establish state police would be completed in the coming months.

Wike also described the political backing for Tinubu’s re-election as unprecedented.

“Never in our political history has a President had the kind of support and encouragement to say that Nigerians, indeed, would want you back to complete the good works you have started,” he said.

He challenged FCT area councils to dispute the impact of the President’s administration in the territory.

“I told the people of FCT: why would you not vote for Mr President? I challenge any area council that can say they do not feel the presence of Mr President,” he said.

Wike concluded by pledging to deliver Rivers and the FCT to Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 election.

“January 16, 2027, to the glory of God, we will come back here and say thank you to the Almighty God,” he said.

Soludo confirms APGA’s backing for Tinubu

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo announced that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) would support Tinubu’s re-election, citing the importance of national unity, security and shared prosperity.

Soludo said the political consensus around Tinubu was unusual in Nigeria’s history, pointing to the attendance of about 33 governors at the campaign council’s inauguration.

“There has been no time in our history where you have such a constellation, a consensus of opinion that one man deserves to be re-elected in this country,” he said.

He urged the APC to acknowledge APGA as a partner in the coalition supporting Tinubu, noting that APGA was registered in 2002, 12 years before the APC was formed.

Soludo said the President’s economic reforms, although difficult, were necessary and should continue until their intended benefits were achieved.

He argued that the next phase of Nigeria’s development should focus on translating economic stability and reform into shared prosperity.

“We are with you. We are a partner in this journey back to the Aso Rock,” he said.

Uzodimma urges governors to sustain reforms

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, called on APC governors to support Tinubu’s re-election and maintain the administration’s reform agenda.

Uzodimma said the APC controlled 31 of the country’s 36 states and had elected chairmen in approximately 685 of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, alongside its representation in the National Assembly.

He attributed the party’s political strength to the administration’s policies since 2023, including the removal of petrol subsidy, foreign exchange reforms and tax changes.

Although he acknowledged the hardship associated with the reforms, he maintained that the measures were beginning to deliver results, citing economic growth, falling inflation and improved international credit ratings.

The governor also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, consumer credit scheme, conditional cash transfers and Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as examples of the administration’s interventions.

He said more than 1.5 million students had benefited from the education loan programme, with over N350 billion disbursed for tuition and upkeep.

Uzodimma further cited the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, which is intended to extend development initiatives to all 8,809 wards nationwide.

He argued that another term would give Tinubu the opportunity to consolidate the reforms and deliver their anticipated benefits.

“The question Nigerians will answer in January is whether we build on the foundation or whether we should abandon the foundation,” he said.

Uzodimma urged the President to continue governing while the party’s leadership concentrated on winning the election.

“Please, Your Excellency, continue with this governance, sustain these reforms, leave the heavy lifting of this campaign to us,” he said.

However, he warned that the APC must not assume that control of numerous states automatically translated into victory. He called on party members to resolve disputes arising from primaries, engage voters at the grassroots and conduct peaceful campaigns in accordance with electoral laws.

“Victory is guaranteed when we are united. Victory is guaranteed when we are committed and work as a focused team,” he said.

Akpabio assures Tinubu of legislative backing

Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared the National Assembly’s support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying the legislature would not allow anyone to destabilise the President.

“Mr President, it’s because of your personae, because you’ve done well and you deserve a second term in office,” Akpabio said.

He added that Nigerians were beginning to recognise the administration’s reforms and insisted that the National Assembly would stand behind the President.

“What is happening tonight is the fact that Nigerians are seeing your reforms, and Nigerians have also seen the fact that nobody can break through the National Assembly to destabilise you. We are solidly behind you,” he said.

Yilwatda calls for credible campaign messaging

APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, urged the campaign council to present the administration’s achievements while acknowledging the challenges that remain unresolved.

He said the party should not limit its campaign to highlighting successes but should also explain the objectives of government policies, the progress made and the work still required.

“We have made so much progress but must acknowledge where we have challenges while explaining the objectives, progress and continuing work of the administration,” he said.

Yilwatda said the APC would campaign on “a clear record, an honest assessment of the challenges and a credible vision for the future”.

He charged campaign officials to make their case convincingly through evidence of progress, clear explanations of policies and practical accounts of what the administration still intends to accomplish.

The inauguration signals an intensification of the ruling party’s preparations for the 2027 elections, with the APC promoting continuity, unity and the consolidation of economic reforms as central arguments for Tinubu’s re-election.

The campaign council is expected to work through governors, lawmakers, local government chairmen and party executives to mobilise voters nationwide, while the President continues to oversee the country’s governance and economic agenda.

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