Tinubu inaugurates APC Campaign Council, demands 2027 votes

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election, urging party leaders and members to unite behind his re-election bid while ensuring that governance does not suffer during the campaign.

Tinubu inaugurated the council on Wednesday at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, expressing confidence in the party’s capacity to mobilise voters and deliver the required support across the country.

He, however, warned that previous electoral victories would count for little unless party members secured votes in their respective wards, local government areas and states in the forthcoming election.

“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 electoral wards, until you deliver the votes,” Tinubu said.

The President acknowledged advice from Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and secretary of the campaign council, who urged him to remain focused on governance despite the demands of electioneering.

Tinubu said the advice was timely, adding that although the campaign council would lead political mobilisation across the country, he would continue engaging Nigerians directly and pursuing the administration’s economic priorities.

He said the government had financial obligations to meet and needed to sustain efforts to attract investment into the economy for the benefit of future generations.

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

Tinubu charged campaign council members to conduct their activities responsibly, engage Nigerians constructively and communicate the policies and programmes of his administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He also commended Vice-President Kashim Shettima for his speech and described his contributions to national development as patriotic.

The President praised Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, for their contributions during his tenure as governor of Lagos, particularly efforts to address the encroachment of the Atlantic Ocean.

“There is a limit, but there is no limit in daring. We dared the Atlantic Ocean, and the result is the Atlantic City in Lagos,” he said.

Earlier, Shettima praised Tinubu’s commitment to democracy, citing his support for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition in 2007 under the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria.

The Vice-President criticised Atiku for what he described as a tendency to belittle the office of the President, insisting that the position deserved institutional respect regardless of political differences.

“You can call him Bola, if you like, call him Adekunle, but he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Shettima said.

He also criticised National Democratic Movement presidential candidate Peter Obi over what he described as the use of misleading statistics and comparisons between Nigeria and other countries without sufficient context.

In his remarks, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the inauguration reflected the party’s determination to consolidate its political organisation and communicate its programmes to Nigerians ahead of the election.

Yilwatda pointed to the presence of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike at the event as evidence of support for Tinubu’s re-election across political lines.

He urged campaign council members to explain the administration’s policies and achievements clearly while acknowledging the challenges Nigerians continued to face.

According to him, the campaign would focus on demonstrating how the government’s investments and economic reforms could translate into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.

“Let the coming election be a contest of ideas, records, and policies and be conducted peacefully and with respect for the Nigerian people,” Yilwatda said.

Uzodimma, in his address, assured Tinubu that the campaign council would pursue an issue-based campaign, arguing that the administration’s reforms had addressed longstanding economic problems.

He cited the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market as major decisions taken by Tinubu, noting that previous administrations had avoided such measures despite recognising the need for reform.

Uzodimma acknowledged that the policies had caused hardship and inconvenience for Nigerians but maintained that economic indicators suggested the country was moving in the right direction.

He also praised the administration’s tax reforms and cited economic growth of 4.43 per cent, compared with 4.23 per cent a year earlier.

Atiku, Obi and other opposition figures were not represented in the campaign council’s assessment of the administration’s performance in the speeches presented at the event.

In goodwill messages, Adeleke, Soludo and Wike expressed support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition, with the Osun governor drawing cheers from the audience with his trademark dance moves.

Wike, who described himself as a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he supported Tinubu because of what he considered the President’s willingness to confront difficult national issues from the beginning of his administration.

“Previous administrations identified our problems, but did not tackle them. You have not shied away from tackling such problems. You tackled them from Day One,” Wike said.

He challenged governors to work towards delivering their states for Tinubu in 2027.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs Ibrahim Kabiru Masari and elder statesman Tanko Yakassai also called for support for Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that a second term would allow the administration to consolidate its reform agenda.