President Bola Tinubu has pledged to renew his commitment to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general election, urging members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sustain their mobilisation efforts while ensuring that governance continues.
Tinubu made the pledge on Wednesday in Abuja while inaugurating the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, ahead of the planned launch of his re-election campaign in Kaduna on October 24.
The president said he would not attend every campaign event across the country because of the need to focus on pressing national issues, stressing that electioneering should not interrupt government business.
He said he agreed with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who advised him to avoid allowing campaign activities to distract him from his responsibilities as president.
“Nigeria needs more attention now than ever before. The responsibility of this office does not pause,” Tinubu said.
He explained that the administration needed to meet its financial obligations and attract investments to support the country’s future, adding that he would still make time to address Nigerians directly while campaign officials mobilise support across states and local government areas.
Tinubu charged members of the campaign council to take the APC’s record, policies and plans to Nigerians at every level, including wards and local communities.
He described the inauguration as an opportunity to renew the party’s commitment to the electorate, promising that the APC would not disappoint Nigerians.
The president also warned the party’s governors, federal lawmakers and other political leaders against taking previous electoral victories for granted, insisting that campaign officials must demonstrate their ability to secure votes in their respective areas.
“No one gets credit for an incomplete assignment. So until you deliver the next election, until you deliver your wards, until you deliver the votes, before we can say thank you,” he said.
Tinubu further pledged support for legislative efforts to increase women’s representation in the National Assembly and state legislatures, describing women as important participants in political mobilisation and elections.
On security, the president expressed support for the establishment of state police, declaring that the proposal would become a reality.
He also praised the APC leadership for strengthening the party’s structures from the ward level to the national level, describing the party as increasingly united.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who spoke at the event, defended the administration’s economic policies and criticised opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.
Shettima argued that Nigeria’s economic challenges required policies tailored to its population, institutions and local circumstances, rather than the direct adoption of approaches used in other countries.
“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities,” he said.
He also urged APC members to conduct their campaigns without insulting political opponents, insisting that debates should focus on evidence, policies and facts.
According to Shettima, the Tinubu administration inherited significant fiscal and economic challenges and introduced difficult reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidies and changes to the foreign exchange system.
He acknowledged that the government must ensure the benefits of its reforms translate into jobs, improved incomes and better living conditions for Nigerians.
Shettima maintained that Tinubu deserved another term, arguing that the administration’s reform programme had gained momentum and should be sustained.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, said the party’s campaign would focus on Tinubu’s record in office and his plans for the future.
Yari said the campaign team would engage traditional rulers, religious leaders and communities to communicate the administration’s achievements, particularly in infrastructure development and its efforts to improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
He expressed confidence that party members would work collectively to secure Tinubu’s re-election.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, also warned campaign coordinators against claiming victory if they failed to deliver votes in their assigned states.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party who has supported Tinubu, said campaign appointments must be matched by measurable electoral results.
“If you don’t deliver your state and the president wins, don’t say we have won,” he said.
The minister, who is coordinating Tinubu’s campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, pledged to mobilise support for the president in both areas.
Meanwhile, the Senate leadership described the coalition of political interests supporting Tinubu’s re-election bid as a broad alliance aimed at promoting national unity and inclusive governance.
However, Atiku criticised the inauguration of the campaign council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, describing it as an abuse of public office and a breach of public trust. His position was conveyed in a statement by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication for the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
The inauguration marks a significant step in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with the ruling party expected to focus its campaign on the administration’s economic reforms, infrastructure projects and future policy agenda.
