President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision not to accompany his campaign team to every state ahead of the 2027 general elections has triggered mixed reactions, with some Nigerians questioning his fitness and willingness to face voters, while others say he can rely on party leaders to canvass support.
Tinubu said on Wednesday that he would not visit every state during the campaign, arguing that governance must continue and that Nigeria’s pressing needs require his attention. He said members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council could take his message to voters nationwide.
While some residents support the decision, citing the demands of governance, the President’s age and the availability of party officials to campaign on his behalf, others insist that he should personally explain his administration’s record and seek another mandate from Nigerians.
Opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation and the Labour Party, also criticised the plan, accusing Tinubu of avoiding questions about his administration’s performance.
Nigerians Differ Over Tinubu’s Decision
A resident of Enugu State, Nobert Okolie, said he believed Tinubu might not be physically fit enough to endure the rigours of a nationwide campaign.
He noted that the President had not travelled extensively within Nigeria in the past but argued that his absence from some campaign stops would not necessarily undermine the APC’s efforts.
“My own take is that he is not fully fit to embark on such a rigorous campaign trail,” he said, adding that governors and other party leaders could campaign on the President’s behalf.
However, the Bayelsa State chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), David West, urged Tinubu to visit all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, arguing that Nigerians deserved to hear directly from the President.
West said the President’s extensive foreign trips made it necessary for him to explain why he might not be able to campaign across the country.
He warned that relying on surrogates could create confusion over campaign promises and questioned how residents of states left out of the tour would feel.
The activist also urged Tinubu to clarify whether health concerns were responsible for his decision.
“If he is having any health challenge, come out plainly and tell Nigerians. If it is not for reasons of health challenges, why is he avoiding going around?” he asked.
West also recalled Tinubu’s reported campaign promise on electricity, challenging the President to explain his record on power supply during the electioneering period.
A commercial motorcyclist in Makurdi, Benue State, Cosmos Mbatsaav, popularly known as Okader, described the decision as unfair to Nigerians.
“President Tinubu’s comment is not fair to Nigerians. He is supposed to visit all the states and campaign in person and show his manifesto to Nigerians and tell them what he has for them if voted again for a second term,” he said.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, resident Aliyu Balarabe attributed the President’s decision to insecurity, economic hardship and what he described as a lack of achievements to present to voters.
“There is insecurity across the country. He is running away from his own records. He is afraid of being challenged by Nigerians during the campaign rallies because he lacks what to sell to them,” he said.
Balarabe also suggested that health concerns could be responsible for the decision.
In contrast, Sulaiman Abubakar, a resident of Bomala in Gombe State, said there was nothing wrong with the President relying on his campaign team.
“If he decides not to go round, I think it’s okay. There will be a time when campaigns will be done online, and that’s all. To me, there’s no problem with this,” he said.
A resident of Akure, Ondo State, Samuel Ogunseyila, said Tinubu’s age and health could explain his decision. He argued, however, that a healthy President should be able to travel and defend his record before voters.
“I personally believe he is too old, and probably his doctors have advised him to rest enough,” he said.
Similarly, a resident of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, identified as Mr Ayo, backed the decision, arguing that the President should consider his age and physical capacity.
He said the APC had enough capable leaders to campaign across the country but urged the President to ensure that the benefits of government policies reached ordinary Nigerians.
Atiku Says Tinubu Must Account For His Record
On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.accused Tinubu of seeking another four-year mandate without personally defending his administration’s record before Nigerians.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the President’s decision to skip campaign rallies raised questions about his willingness to address citizens’ concerns over economic hardship.
“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,” he said.
Atiku argued that the President should explain the impact of his policies on food prices, healthcare, jobs and household incomes instead of relying on political allies to defend his record.
“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 their suffering with the same urgency he gives creditors and investors,” he said.
He added that campaign surrogates could not answer for the President’s decisions.
“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,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President also criticised the inauguration of the campaign council at the Presidential Villa, describing the use of the seat of government for a partisan event as inappropriate.
Obi: Tinubu Cannot Delegate Accountability
For his part, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the NDC, asserted that Tinubu could not govern by proxy, campaign through surrogates and expect Nigerians to renew his mandate.
In a statement issued by his Media Office on Thursday, Obi argued that the President should directly defend his record if he wanted another term.
“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.
“Surrogates can speak for the President, but they cannot answer for his failures. They can repeat his promises, but they cannot make those promises a reality. They can campaign in his name, but they cannot carry his responsibility,” he said.
Obi questioned why Tinubu would be reluctant to face voters if his administration had delivered on its promises.
He said the President should explain how his policies had affected the cost of food, transport, electricity and housing, as well as the hardship facing millions of Nigerians.
Nigerians are not being asked to elect your surrogates. They are being asked to assess you, your policies, your promises and your performance.
“If Nigerians are being asked to renew his mandate, let him have the courage to face their questions. A President who seeks the people’s mandate must be prepared to face the people. Surrogates may carry the message, but they cannot carry the burden of accountability,” Obi added.
Makinde Campaign Organisation Questions Tinubu’s Fitness
The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) accused Tinubu of avoiding voters because he feared public anger over his administration’s performance.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the organisation described the President’s decision not to campaign across the country as an affront to democratic accountability.
It also cited Tinubu’s reference to himself as “Governor Tinubu” at the inauguration of his presidential campaign council, claiming that the remark raised questions about his fitness to govern. The allegation was part of the organisation’s criticism of the President.
The group argued that a President confident in his performance should be prepared to defend his record before the electorate.
“Having failed in all of his promises and having no meaningful achievements to boast of, President Tinubu is now fishing for excuses not to face the people,” the statement said.
The organisation also criticised the administration’s handling of electricity, poverty, petrol subsidy removal, the flotation of the naira and insecurity.
It claimed that more than 140 million Nigerians had been plunged into poverty and alleged that the government’s economic policies had worsened living conditions. These claims were presented by the organisation as reasons Tinubu should account for his performance before seeking re-election.
The group urged the President to withdraw from the race if he lacked the stamina to campaign nationwide, while promoting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and his RESET NIGERIA Agenda as an alternative.
Tinubu Owes Nigerians An Explanation, Says Labour Party
The Labour Party described Tinubu’s plan to skip some campaign tours as callous and disrespectful, arguing that he owed Nigerians a direct account of his stewardship.
The President had said on Wednesday, October 14, while inaugurating the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that he would not accompany the campaign team to every state because governance must continue.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP, the Labour Party’s Publicity Secretary, Eluma Asogwa, questioned whether the President regarded defending his record as a priority, particularly after spending roughly a month abroad on vacation.
“I’m not President Tinubu’s personal physician to determine his state of fitness to go through the rigours of state-by-state campaign. However, given that the President just returned from an extended vacation where he spent roughly one month abroad, it is obvious that going round the states to market his scorecards in the last three years is far from being a priority to him,” he said.
Asogwa said the Presidency had described Tinubu’s foreign trip as a vacation rather than a period of illness.
“If the President is fit as a fiddle as his handlers would have us believe, then it is callous and disrespectful of him not to go round to tell Nigerians why he should deserve a second term in office,” he added.
He said Tinubu should personally explain the benefits of the removal of petrol subsidy, the flotation of the naira and other policies.
“He has to personally tell Nigerians the gains so far recorded from subsidy removal, naira flotation and other policies of his administration. It’s only him that can address that during campaign stops, not Bayo Onanuga or Daniel Bwala,” he said.
Asogwa also criticised the use of the Presidential Villa for a partisan event, arguing that the seat of government should be separated from party interests.
On voter turnout in 2027, he said the opposition had a responsibility to mobilise citizens and discourage voter apathy, which he argued could favour the ruling party.
Credit: Leadership