Kazeem Waris
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday launched a blistering attack on opposition parties, accusing them of creating the hunger and poverty they now criticise his administration over, as he formally flagged off the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign for the 2027 election.
Tinubu, who spoke before a crowd of party supporters in Kaduna, described his political opponents as failures who had nothing constructive to offer Nigerians, insisting that his administration was working to overcome the country’s economic challenges.
The President also promised prosperity, continuity, progress and development if re-elected, urging Nigerians to reject what he characterised as opposition falsehoods and mobilise for the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger. They created the poverty we are trying to eradicate,” Tinubu declared.
Defending his administration’s performance, the President said regular salary payments and the activities of APC governors demonstrated his government’s commitment to governance and development.
“We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I am proud of them. They are developing,” he said.
Tinubu dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the economic situation, arguing that his rivals were driven by frustration rather than constructive policy alternatives.
“This is not a matter of hunger; this is not a matter of anger either. Our opponents are angry because they are failures. They have nothing to offer you but heckling,” he said.
The President assured Nigerians that a second term would deliver improved economic opportunities and a better future, particularly for young people.
“To you, the children of our country, it is a promise of second-term prosperity. You will not regret going to vote,” he said.
He added: “We have prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity. I assure you.”
Seeks renewed mandate, backs APC governors
The President repeatedly asked supporters whether they had their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), urging them to prepare to participate in the forthcoming election.
“Do you have your PVC? Do you have your PVC? Show your hands up,” he asked the crowd.
Tinubu also called for the re-election of APC candidates at all levels, in a show of support for the party’s governors and lawmakers amid political debate over coalition-building ahead of the polls.
“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.
He urged voters to recognise the importance of their electoral choices, declaring: “Your prosperity is here. Your future is in your hands; the fingerprint will reflect it.”
The President’s remarks came amid political disagreements over calls for a broader opposition coalition, including a proposed rainbow coalition associated with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Says subsidy era is over
Tinubu also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, pushing back against the position attributed to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on restoring the policy if elected.
The President maintained that the subsidy regime belonged to the past, promising to tackle corruption, fraudulent invoicing and fuel smuggling.
“Fuel subsidy is in our past. No more corruption. No more falsification of invoices. No more lies. No more smuggling of wealth,” he said.
The subsidy debate remains a major issue in the emerging 2027 campaign, with the administration defending its economic reforms while Nigerians continue to contend with high living costs. Tinubu’s critics have questioned the impact of the reforms on household welfare, making economic conditions a central issue in the contest.
The President, however, expressed confidence in the APC’s record, praising the party’s governors for what he described as development strides across their respective states.
“Out of 36 of them, I can see the development strides they are making in their various states,” he said, reiterating his promise of a better tomorrow.
Shettima highlights education, infrastructure projects
Earlier, Vice President Kashim Shettima urged Nigerians to renew the APC’s mandate, arguing that the administration had worked to preserve national unity and sustain major development projects.
Shettima said the APC’s 2023 victory was driven by voters’ assessment of the choices before them rather than the party’s wealth, education or rhetorical ability.
“We didn’t win that election because we were wise, far from it. We didn’t win that election because we were rich, and we didn’t win that election because we were educated. We didn’t win that election because we were the best speakers. We won because you saw the options before you and knew, without a doubt, that the alternative was a calamity,” he said.
He described Tinubu as a leader who had supported political figures from northern Nigeria and called on the region to reciprocate what he characterised as the President’s longstanding political solidarity.
According to Shettima, Tinubu supported Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition in 2007, backed former presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and stood behind former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 elections.
Shettima also praised Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, saying his administration had helped promote unity across communities in the state.
He cited the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the transition to the Federal University of Education in Zaria and state vocational institutes in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf, which he said had produced more than 4,000 graduates.
The Vice President further highlighted infrastructure projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano transport corridor, the Kano-Maradi railway, the Lagos-Kano rail corridor and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway.
He said the projects demonstrated the administration’s commitment to continuing initiatives begun by previous governments while expanding economic opportunities.
“We have the courage to come to Kaduna State today because we have kept our promise and never reneged on it,” Shettima said.
The Vice President called for the renewal of the APC mandate at federal and state levels, describing the party’s record in Kaduna as a basis for seeking another term.
The Kaduna rally marked the formal launch of Tinubu’s campaign for a second term, with the President and his party leaders seeking to make economic reforms, infrastructure development, governance and continuity central themes of their appeal to voters.
