Isaac Samuel
President Bola Tinubu has said he will not accompany members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to every campaign event ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing the demands of governance and the need to meet the country’s financial obligations.
Tinubu made this known on Wednesday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where he urged members to take the party’s message to Nigerians across states and local government areas while he remained focused on running the country.
The President said he agreed with concerns that the rigours of campaigning should not distract him from governance, stressing that Nigeria required his attention at this time.
“You’ve warned me not to allow the rigour of the campaign to distract me from governance, I hear you. I am in full agreement with your decision. Nigeria needs more attention now,” Tinubu said.
He asked members of the council to excuse him from accompanying them to every campaign event, pointing to the government’s financial responsibilities and international debt obligations.
“So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you, we have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait,” he said.
The President also stressed the need to attract investors willing to commit to long-term investments in Nigeria, saying such investments would help secure the country’s economic future and benefit coming generations.
“We want those investors to come in, be here to stay, to invest for the future of our children,” he said.
Despite his decision not to attend every campaign event, Tinubu assured Nigerians that he would continue to engage them directly while the campaign council coordinated mobilisation across the country.
“However, I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians, even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas,” he said.
Describing the inauguration as more than a routine political exercise, the President said it represented a renewed commitment to Nigerians and the responsibility entrusted to the APC as the governing party.
“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,” he said.
Tinubu charged members of the council to communicate his administration’s vision, record and agenda to voters nationwide, expressing confidence that their mobilisation would help secure victory for the APC in the 2027 elections.
He also commended party members for completing the APC congresses, recalling predictions that the process could trigger an internal crisis.
“They said there will be implosion. We passed through it. We did not fail. You didn’t let us down. We got here together,” he said.
The President urged party members to sustain the unity achieved during the congresses and carry the same spirit into the campaign as the APC prepares for the next general election.
Tinubu’s remarks came as the party formally activated its campaign structure, with members expected to coordinate mobilisation across states and local government areas ahead of the 2027 polls.
