2027: I WON’T ABANDON GOVERNANCE FOR CAMPAIGNS — TINUBU

By ‘Sefiu Ajape

• Election will be referendum on our reforms — Uzodinma
• We must return Mr. President, Adeleke, Soludo say
• Deliver your states, Wike taunts APC governors
• Your achievements have made our assignment simple — Yari
• ADC-PCC criticises inauguration
• Tinubu’s campaign council reflects fear of electoral verdict — Atiku
• ‘Nebuchadnezzar Coalition’ heading for the rocks — Makinde/Daura campaign council

President Bola Tinubu has said he will not abandon governance while campaigning for re-election in the January 2027 presidential election.

Tinubu spoke on Wednesday during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), which he will chair.

The President said the demands of electioneering would not distract him from his responsibilities, adding that he would make time to engage Nigerians without travelling to all 36 states.

His remarks followed an appeal by Imo State Governor and PCC Secretary, Hope Uzodimma, who urged him to focus on governance while the campaign team handled electioneering activities.

Addressing APC governors, members of the party’s National Working Committee and principal officers of the National Assembly, Tinubu said, “I thank the council secretary and the chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Foruum, Governor Uzodinma, for all the commendable things he has done. I do not take your trust lightly, and by the grace of God, I intend to keep earning it.

“Earning your trust is extremely important to me, all of you. “You have warned me and asked me not to allow the rigor of the campaign to distract me from governance. I hear you. I am in full agreement with your decision. Nigeria needs more attention, now than ever before. The responsibility of this office does not pause.

“That responsibility didn’t recognize our agenda here today. 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.

“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. Let the work go out from this hall to every corner of our nation, the APC is ready. “We have not gathered merely to inaugurate a council; we have gathered to renew a covenant, a covenant with Nigerian people, and the historic responsibility they have entrusted to us as Nigeria’s governing party, we promise we will not let them down. This council will carry our vision, our record, and our agenda to every Nigerian, and it will carry them to victory.”

Earlier, Uzodimma, who also chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, urged Tinubu to leave the task of leading the campaign to the PCC to prevent electioneering from affecting governance.

He said, “Mr President, we would like to request this of you:

“An election season has a way of consuming everything around it, and there will be no shortage of people who would like to see you spend the next three months responding to every distraction on the campaign trail. We would ask that you do not allow it to distract you from governance. “The reforms you began need your full attention if they are to deliver everything they promise, and Nigerians will be better served by a President who keeps his hand firmly on the work of government than by one who is pulled away from it by the demands of electioneering. Please, Your Excellency, leave the heavy lifting of this campaign to us.”

Uzodimma, who highlighted the economic reforms of the Tinubu administration, said the forthcoming election would serve as a referendum on the policies.

He said, “Reforms of this scale take time to mature. What has been done in these three years is the hard and largely unseen work of laying a foundation, and anyone who has ever built anything knows that the foundation is the most expensive part of the work and the part people see least. The question Nigerians will answer in January is whether we build on that foundation or abandon it and begin all over again, and if we begin again, it is the Nigerian people who will bear the cost. We intend to put that choice before them plainly, and we are confident about the answer they will give.”

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, the APC-PCC coordinator in his state, pledged to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that four years would not be enough to assess the administration.

He said, “I can see the victory in 2027. Nobody can stop this movement. I am going to lead. We will sing and dance all the way back to Aso Rock.”

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the APC campaign coordinator in his state, also backed Tinubu’s re-election, citing national unity and the administration’s economic reforms.

Soludo said, “We believe in the unity and shared prosperity of Nigeria and that’s why we are with Mr. President who symbolizes that unity.

“Mr President, the path you have taken in the restructuring of the economy is difficult but necessary path. There is an elite consensus on your reforms.”

He urged Tinubu to accelerate economic progress if re-elected in 2027.

“We are a partner in this journey back to Aso Rock, “ the Anambra State governor declared.

Meanwhile, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who was assigned to coordinate the APC campaign in Rivers State, said Tinubu’s record would secure him votes.

Wike, who has openly opposed the position of some APC governors on his Rainbow Coalition, challenged them to ensure they delivered their states to the President.

“It is important that you deliver your states, because if you don’t deliver your state and Mr. President won, don’t say we have won. You must deliver your state.”

In his acceptance speech, former Zamfara State Governor and APC-PCC Director-General Abdulaziz Yari said the administration’s achievements had made the council’s task easier.

He expressed confidence that Nigerians would vote massively for Tinubu but urged campaign council members to avoid internal disputes.

Yari said, ”You have made our job easier. Your achievements have been our message. Our campaigns will centre on your achievements. You have touched the lives of ordinary Nigerians. By God grace, we are going to deliver. By 16th January, by God’s grace, you will earn a fresh mandate.”

Earlier, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda urged members of the campaign council to unite the party’s national and grassroots structures, communicate the administration’s achievements and mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.

He described the assignment as a collective responsibility requiring coordination, discipline, strategic communication and sustained engagement with Nigerians.

Yilwatda said the campaign should focus on the administration’s record, acknowledge existing challenges and present a credible vision for the country’s future.

He said, “Our responsibility is to explain what has been achieved, what is progressing and what remains to be done. We must demonstrate how these reforms and investments will translate into practical improvements in the lives of Nigerians.”

ADC-PCC criticises inauguration

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has criticised the inauguration of the APC-PCC in Abuja, saying the move raised concerns about multiparty democracy.

In a statement on Wednesday, ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity Kola Ologbondiyan said the ruling party’s campaign approach could undermine political competition and inclusion.

Ologbondiyan alleged that opposition governors were being pressured and called for respect for the freedom of association of elected officials and political parties.

He also expressed concern about the neutrality of national institutions, urging them to ensure fair political participation.

The ADC-PCC spokesman called on Nigerians to uphold democratic values and participate in the electoral process.

Tinubu’s campaign council reflects fear of electoral verdict — Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the revised APC-PCC, saying its composition reflected concerns within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku reacted on Wednesday through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

He argued that the size of the council suggested a greater focus on political mobilisation than on addressing the concerns of Nigerians, particularly the rising cost of living and insecurity.

Atiku also questioned the decision to inaugurate the campaign council at the Presidential Villa, arguing that the seat of government was a national institution and should not be used for partisan political activities.

He urged the ruling party to hold campaign events in neutral public venues and preserve public confidence in national institutions.

The former vice-president added that the administration should use the campaign to address public concerns and present its record to Nigerians.

Nebuchadnezzar Coalition heading for the rocks — Makinde/Daura campaign council

The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has criticised the composition of the APC-PCC, accusing the ruling party of assembling politicians whose presence would not shield the administration from public dissatisfaction.

In a statement on Wednesday, the organisation’s Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, argued that the council could not erase concerns over economic hardship and insecurity.

“This ‘Nebuchadnezzar Coalition’ is headed for the rocks as it cannot whitewash the failures of the Tinubu administration, nor rewrite the painful realities confronting citizens,” the organisation reacted.

The group alleged that the council included governors, legislators and politicians facing corruption investigations, adding that the size of the campaign team could not replace public trust and democratic legitimacy.

It also said the council’s inauguration came as Nigerians continued to face economic hardship, rising poverty, unemployment and declining confidence in the government.