President Bola Tinubu has formally launched his campaign for a second term in office, accusing opposition politicians of creating the hunger and poverty they now seek to use against his administration while promising Nigerians prosperity, economic recovery and expanded opportunities if re-elected in 2027.
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The All Progressives Congress presidential campaign was formally flagged off on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna, where party leaders, governors, lawmakers and supporters gathered for the commencement of the ruling party’s nationwide campaign.
The rally drew supporters to the stadium and surrounding streets, with some arriving the previous night ahead of the programme. Singer Dauda Kahutu Rarara performed at the event, while Vice President Kashim Shettima joined in some of the celebrations.
Addressing the gathering, Tinubu said opposition politicians were attempting to make hunger and poverty major campaign issues without accepting responsibility for what he described as the economic problems inherited by his government.
“I have an argument. I hear my opponents talking about hunger, poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger. They created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” the President said.
Tinubu maintained that his administration was implementing reforms intended to reverse the economic difficulties inherited from previous governments and create conditions for sustainable growth.
He dismissed criticisms from opposition parties, arguing that the APC had more to offer Nigerians in terms of economic recovery, development and opportunities.
“This is not a matter of anger. This is not a matter of hunger either. Our opponents are angry because they are failures. They have nothing to offer you, but we have prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity. I assure you,” he said.
The President said his decision to seek another term was based on a desire to consolidate the reforms and development programmes already being implemented by his administration.
He thanked Kaduna voters for their support during the 2023 presidential election and asked them to renew his mandate in 2027.
“You gave me joy to remember the victory you gave me to become President. I come again to thank you for that, and to seek your mandate for the second term, to keep a promise of prosperity, continuity and progress, development,” Tinubu said.
He particularly appealed to young Nigerians, promising that another term would deliver greater benefits from the government’s economic programmes.
“To you, the children of our country, it’s a promise of second-term prosperity. You win. You will not regret going to vote,” he said.
Tinubu also ruled out any return to the petrol subsidy regime, insisting that the policy had been permanently consigned to the past.
He associated the former subsidy arrangement with corruption, falsification of invoices, smuggling and other abuses which, according to him, damaged Nigeria’s finances.
“Fuel subsidy is in our past. No more corruption. No more falsification of invoices, no more lies, no more smuggling,” he declared.
The President maintained that although the reforms had demanded sacrifices from Nigerians, they would ultimately produce a stronger economy and improved opportunities.
“You grant me the privilege to promise you once again, there is that promise of a better tomorrow,” he added.
Tinubu also praised APC governors, saying they were implementing development projects and regularly paying workers’ salaries.
“We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I am proud of them. They are developing.
“I salute all our governors today. Out of 36 of them, I can see the development strides they are making in their various states. They are paying salaries regularly,” he said.
The President urged voters not to be swayed by what he described as misleading opposition narratives and repeatedly asked supporters whether they had obtained their Permanent Voter Cards.
“Do you have your PVC? Do you have your PVC? Show your hand. Your hands up,” Tinubu asked the crowd.
He urged Nigerians to turn out for the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, and vote for APC candidates across the different levels of government.
“Come January 2027, January 16, you must go out massively to elect me again.
“APC all the way. APC for our governors, APC for our senators, APC for our honourable members of the House of Representatives, and all Houses of Assembly,” he said.
Tinubu told supporters that the decision over the country’s political future remained in their hands.
“Your prosperity is here. Your full joy is in your hand. The fingerprint will reflect it. Be careful. Watch them. Don’t let them lie to you. What is in the past is the past,” he added.
Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, meanwhile, told Tinubu that Northern Nigeria was solidly behind his re-election bid.
“Mr. President, I want you to listen to us clearly. Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent, by God’s grace, for you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Insha Allah,” Yari said.
Yari said consultations across northern states had involved governors, traditional rulers, Islamic scholars and other influential figures whom he said were supportive of Tinubu’s bid for another four years.
He maintained that the APC would campaign on what it regarded as the administration’s achievements rather than rely on propaganda or personal attacks.
The campaign director-general also accused opposition politicians of deploying artificial intelligence to circulate misleading information about Tinubu’s policies and performance.
According to him, claims concerning the administration’s treatment of farmers had been among the subjects of misinformation.
Yari said the campaign organisation subsequently engaged farmers directly to explain the administration’s programmes and claimed that about two million farmers had pledged to support Tinubu’s re-election.
He said direct engagement with different sectors of the population would remain part of the APC’s campaign strategy.
Explaining why Kaduna was selected for the campaign flag-off, Yari described the state as historically important to the politics of Northern Nigeria.
“Today, we are in Kaduna not by mistake. We deliberately chose this place to be your first place of call on this important gathering, flagging off the campaign of APC for the 2027 presidential election,” he said.
He praised APC governors for their involvement in preparations for the event and particularly commended Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
Yari said their collective participation demonstrated what he described as the organisational strength of the ruling party ahead of the election.
The former Zamfara governor also defended Tinubu’s economic record, claiming that major economic indicators had improved since the administration assumed office in May 2023.
He cited the foreign exchange market and external reserves as examples.
Yari claimed that the naira had recovered from a period when the exchange rate approached ₦1,800 to the dollar to approximately ₦1,300.
“Mr. President, if I can remember at least a few, from the exchange rate, which was heading to 1,800, today the exchange rate is reading about 1,300, which is a remarkable achievement,” he said.
He said the campaign would also showcase what the APC regarded as achievements in infrastructure, healthcare, education, human capital development, student support, cash transfers and programmes for women and vulnerable Nigerians.
“As promised Nigerians at the head of this campaign, we are going to campaign with our records. Our records are there. Infrastructure is there. What we did in health is there. Education is there. Human capital development is there,” Yari said.
He disclosed that APC leaders had been consulting traditional institutions, Islamic scholars, imams and other influential personalities across the North to build support for Tinubu.
According to Yari, the engagements were intended to promote continuity and strengthen support for the administration.
He described APC governors as Tinubu’s political commanders in their respective states and said the campaign council would complement their efforts through nationwide mobilisation.
Yari also argued that the ruling party had an advantage in political experience, tracing the political history of some of its leaders through earlier organisations including the Alliance for Democracy, All Nigeria Peoples Party and Congress for Progressive Change before the formation of the APC.
The campaign flag-off also featured the commissioning of an 81-kilometre section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road.
Minister of Works David Umahi said the Tinubu administration had completed more than 348 kilometres of roads in the North-West, with another 1,800 kilometres partially completed.
According to Umahi, about 4,083 kilometres of roads are currently under construction in the region as part of approximately 17,000 kilometres of federal road projects nationwide.
The 81 kilometres commissioned by Tinubu formed part of the 118-kilometre first section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road project.
Umahi said the first section was completed within 13 months.
He added that more than 144 kilometres of the 164-kilometre second section had been completed, with the outstanding 20 kilometres expected to be completed by the end of November.
The minister also disclosed that Tinubu had directed the installation of solar-powered streetlights along the entire 375-kilometre Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano corridor.
Umahi praised the President for funding the projects and Governor Uba Sani for his contribution towards their completion.
At the rally, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, presented party flags to the APC governors and governorship candidates from the North-West.
Those presented included Uba Sani of Kaduna State, Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.
Yilwatda assured Tinubu that APC structures throughout the North-West would mobilise for the party in the presidential, governorship and other elections.
The event was attended by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu; Vice President Kashim Shettima; his wife, Nana Shettima; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas; governors, National Assembly members, party leaders and supporters.
The opposition African Democratic Congress, however, presented a sharply different assessment of the rally.
Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, disputed the APC’s portrayal of the turnout and claimed the event failed to demonstrate the ruling party’s political strength in the North-West.
He alleged that supporters had been mobilised from the seven North-West states and elsewhere and further claimed that some attendees were paid between ₦50,000 and ₦100,000.
Those allegations were not independently established.
Ologbondiyan said the stadium remained sparsely occupied despite the alleged mobilisation.
“For a rally billed as the Northwest zonal flag-off, what we witnessed was a shameful spectacle. Despite the alleged mobilisation of crowds from across the zone and beyond, the stadium remained scantily filled, with empty seats everywhere,” he said.
He also claimed that some attendees later chanted “Ba mu yi,” which he interpreted as rejection of the APC and its policies.
“You can rent a crowd, but you cannot rent acceptance. Even if people attend a rally, that does not mean they have surrendered their convictions. The real test of public support is what Nigerians will decide at the ballot box,” Ologbondiyan said.
ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar also responded to Tinubu’s remarks on hunger and poverty, accusing the President of attempting to shift responsibility for the economic hardship confronting Nigerians.
In a statement issued through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku argued that Nigerians would judge the administration on their living conditions rather than campaign promises.
He also criticised the commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna road from the campaign venue, arguing that infrastructure should be assessed on actual completion rather than ceremonies.
“A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon-cutting ceremony,” Atiku said.
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