President Bola Tinubu has told members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council not to expect him to accompany them to every campaign rally ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that governing the country must remain a priority.
Tinubu made the position known on Wednesday during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where he charged members to take the party’s message to Nigerians across states and local government areas while he focused on the responsibilities of his office.
The president said he agreed with concerns that the demands of electioneering could distract him from governance, stressing that Nigeria required his attention at a critical 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 subsequently asked the campaign team to excuse him from attending every campaign event, pointing to the government’s financial obligations and the need to meet international debt commitments.
“So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you, we have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait,” the President said.
Tinubu also stressed the need to attract investors willing to establish long-term businesses in Nigeria, saying such investments would help secure a better future for the country’s children.
“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 outing, the president assured Nigerians that he would still make time to address them directly as the council handled 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.
Tinubu described the inauguration as more than a routine political exercise, presenting it as a renewed commitment to Nigerians and the responsibilities entrusted to the ruling 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.
He charged the council to take the administration’s vision, record and agenda to voters nationwide, expressing confidence that the campaign would secure victory for the APC.
“This council will carry our vision, our records and our agenda to every Nigerian, and it will carry them to victory every ward of this country,” Tinubu said.
The president also praised party members for successfully completing the APC congresses, recalling predictions that the process could trigger a major internal crisis.
He said the party had overcome the challenges and emerged united, crediting members for participating in the process from the ward level to the national leadership.
“ 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.
