October 18, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu’s decision to stay back in Abuja, while members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council embark on campaigns for his re-election, may colour the presidential campaign as candidates of the opposition parties pounce on the idea.
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Governor Seyi Makinde of the Alliance Peoples Movement (APM), as well as Adewale Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have jumped on the idea and may use it in the coming days to throw barbs at the President during electioneering.
The challenge followed Tinubu’s indication that he might not accompany the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign team on its tour of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, saying he would remain focused on governance. The President inaugurated the APC Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday and said the party was prepared to seek a fresh mandate. The Presidency has maintained that governance should not be allowed to grind to a halt because of electioneering.
For Abubakar has said President Bola Tinubu should engage directly with Nigerians on his administration’s performance as he seeks a second term. Reacting through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said President Tinubu could not ask Nigerians for four more years, while sending governors, ministers and defectors across the country to defend the hardship of the past three and a half years.
Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief? He has had three and a half years to govern. In that time, families have been forced to cut meals, postpone medical care and watch their earnings lose value before they get home. Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term, “ he said, adding, “Let him look a mother in the eye and explain what his government has done to make food affordable. Let him tell pensioners why they cannot afford their medicines. Let him explain to young Nigerians why years of study and hard work have still not brought them decency.
Tinubu says American creditors cannot wait. Nigerians cannot wait either. They have bills to pay, children to feed and lives to rebuild. They deserve a President who treats the suffering with the same urgency he gives creditors and investors. Instead, he is assembling a crowd of politicians to speak for him. He can fill every campaign stage in Nigeria. He cannot fill an empty pot with surrogates. He cannot send a politician into a market to persuade prices to fall. The people on his campaign council did not receive the mandate in 2023.
Tinubu did. He made the promises. He took the decisions. He must face the questions. Nigerians will hear whatever his surrogates have to say. But when they vote, they will remember what they have lived through. No crowd of politicians can stand between Tinubu and his record.”
Makinde’s campaign organisation reacted almost immediately. Its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, described President Tinubu’s reported decision to limit his participation in the campaign as a “gimmick”. Ihediwa said, “There should be no second term without accountability.
A President who believes he has performed well should be confident to defend his record before the people.
“If President Tinubu is so fatigued that he cannot go round the country to canvass for votes, then he should withdraw from the race.
“The decision not only constitutes a serious affront to the Nigerian electorate, but also makes a caricature of democratic ethos.” The APM Presidential Campaign Organisation also alleged that the President was reluctant to face voters because of growing resentment over economic hardship, insecurity and other challenges confronting the country.
In a separate newsletter issued later, Makinde himself expanded the criticism, arguing that the success of economic reform should ultimately be measured by its effect on ordinary Nigerians.
He acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy and the adoption of a more flexible foreign exchange regime were based on economic arguments, but he said the sequencing and human consequences of such policies were equally important.
“Policies tell you what a government wants to change. The order in which it chooses to make those changes tells you how that government thinks.
“There are never enough resources for government to meet every need at once. So, leadership is about what you choose to do first, what you are prepared to postpone and who bears the cost of those choices,” he said. The Oyo governor said his administration, which began in 2019, prioritised workers’ salaries, pensions and inherited gratuity obligations, while simultaneously pursuing infrastructure development.
Makinde argued that macroeconomic improvements alone could not constitute proof that economic reforms were succeeding.
“Reform is not only about fixing the numbers. It is also about how people survive the transition,” he said. He claimed that poverty had risen from about 56 per cent in 2023 to around 62 per cent in 2026, which he said translated to approximately 23 million additional Nigerians living in poverty.
“And if, after four years, a leader has not been able to make those choices work for the people, Nigerians have every right to say: let us try someone else,” he said. In his response, Obi, through his media office, rejected the planned campaign boycott, demanding that Tinubu engage directly with Nigerians.
“The President cannot delegate accountability. He cannot outsource the defence of his record to political allies, party chieftains and praise singers, while millions of Nigerians struggle with the consequences of his government’s policies,” it said, adding:“If the administration has delivered on its promises, why should the President be reluctant to defend that record before Nigerians himself? If the economy is improving, let him explain how that improvement is reflected in the cost of food, transportation, electricity, housing and necessities,” the statement said.
It added, “If his policies are working, let him face the citizens who want to know when the hardship will end.” Prince Adewole Adebayo was equally frontal in his reaction. “If you’re too tired to campaign, you’re too weak to govern.” He accused the President of adopting a “distant leadership” style to escape public anger over severe economic policies.
In reality, however, the APC campaign schedule shows that the President will appear in 12 states. The timetable lists 37 campaign stops across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with the president expected to appear at selected rallies while other party leaders campaign in the remaining locations.
.After the Kaduna rally, Tinubu is scheduled to visit Rivers State on November 7, Plateau State on November 14 and Oyo State on November 21. He is also expected to attend rallies in Borno State on November 25, Enugu State on November 28, and Bauchi State on November 29. The president’s campaign tour will continue in December, with planned appearances in Sokoto State on December 4, Delta State on December 12, and Kano State on December 17. In January 2027, Tinubu is expected to attend rallies in Adamawa State on January 4 and Lagos State on January 9, where the APC plans to hold its major closing rally.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
