Tinubu to focus on governance ahead of campaigns

President Bola Tinubu has prioritized governance over campaigns for the 2027 presidential elections, as he says that Nigeria needs attention now more than ever before.

At the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general elections in Abuja yesterday, Tinubu informed the gathering that he would not be fully involved in the campaigns because of state functions.

He said Nigeria needed attention now more than ever before, noting that “American creditors cannot wait.”

Some observers see the President’s position as an indication that he may not be fully fit, healthwise, to embark on a rigorous presidential campaign across the states of the federation.

The President charged the APC Presidential Campaign Council, APC governors and APC state chairmen to work hard and deliver victory to the party come 2027.

He told them that they would be rewarded, but they needed to complete the work first. Tinubu said they worked for his victory in the first term, but they have to complete the work to get their reward.

He thanked the Vice President, Kashim Shettima; Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; Chairman of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari; APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; and other speakers at the inauguration for their logical and eloquent presentations .

The President recognised women as the “greatest mobilizers” and enjoined them to take the message of the achievements of his government to the grassroots, assuring them that women representation in the government would be increased.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, assured the President that the National Assembly is solidly behind him in his re-election bid. He advised the President that there is no need trying to mend a cloth that is not torn, saying that doing so would spoil the cloth, and urged the President to return the lawmakers.

He insinuated that some governors that were eyeing senatorial seats in the National Assembly should know that there is no need for that as the lawmakers have a cordial working relationship with the President – a remark that elicited some grumbling from the banquet hall of the Aso Villa.

In his presentation, the APC National Chairman implored the campaign council to market the President to the electorate by clearly enumerating the achievements of his administration.