President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fired the starting gun for the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 presidential campaign, calling on party leaders, governors and campaign strategists to close ranks, mobilise Nigerians and deliver victory at the polls.
In a charged political gathering at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, the President inaugurated the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), declaring the ruling party ready to renew its covenant with Nigerians and defend its record in the next general election.
With the 2027 contest looming, Tinubu made it clear that past victories would count for little without fresh electoral success, challenging party members to move beyond celebration and prove their political strength at the polling booths.
“As I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude and spirit full of resolve, it is my honour to inaugurate the presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 General Election,” he said.
The President thanked party faithful for their contributions to his previous electoral victory but warned that the real test lay ahead.
“No one gets credit for an incomplete assignment until you deliver the next election, until you deliver your electoral wards, until you deliver the votes,” Tinubu declared.
His message was unmistakable: the campaign must be driven by unity, discipline, grassroots mobilisation and measurable results, not political rhetoric alone.
GOVERNANCE MUST NOT TAKE A BACK SEAT
While rallying his party for the political battle ahead, Tinubu acknowledged concerns that the demands of campaigning could distract his administration from its governing responsibilities.
He specifically recognised the counsel of Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, who urged him to remain focused on governance even as the party intensifies its preparations for 2027.
Tinubu welcomed the advice, insisting that political mobilisation and national development must proceed side by side.
He said he would continue to speak directly to Nigerians while the campaign council takes the message of the administration to states and local government areas 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. We have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait. We want those investors to come in and invest for the future of our children,” the President said.
The President charged council members to conduct themselves responsibly, engage citizens constructively and communicate the policies and programmes of his administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Uzodimma, who serves as secretary of the council, assured the President that governors and party leaders would work to deliver the administration's message to Nigerians through an issue-based campaign.
SHEttIMA HAILS TINUBU'S DEMOCRATIC CREDENTIALS
Vice President Kashim Shettima praised Tinubu's courage and conviction, describing his role in the country's democratic evolution as worthy of recognition.
Shettima recalled Tinubu's support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 2007, when Atiku sought the presidency on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
The Vice President also criticised Atiku for what he described as an attempt to diminish the stature of the presidency.
“You can call him Bola, if you like, call him Adekunle, but he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Shettima said.
He also took aim at Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Movement, accusing him of using misleading statistics and comparing Nigeria with other countries without sufficient context.
The remarks added a combative political edge to an inauguration already focused on building momentum for the President's re-election campaign.
APC DECLARES NATIONWIDE MOBILISATION
APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, described the inauguration as a demonstration of the party's collective determination to build a better Nigeria and secure another mandate for Tinubu.
He called on the campaign council to communicate the administration's record with precision, defend its policies with confidence and translate its achievements into a compelling message for voters.
Yilwatda promised an extensive grassroots operation, stretching from individual wards to local government areas and states, with the aim of driving turnout for the President in 2027.
He also pointed to the presence of political figures from outside the APC, including Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, a prominent Peoples Democratic Party figure, as evidence of support for Tinubu's re-election.
The APC chairman, however, stressed that the campaign must go beyond listing policies and economic reforms.
“We must show Nigerians how this investment and reforms can translate into practical improvement in our daily lives. This is the substance of our campaign,” he said.
He called for a contest centred on ideas, records and policies, urging party members to pursue their objectives peacefully and with respect for the electorate.
UZODIMMA DEFENDS ECONOMIC REFORMS
In one of the strongest endorsements of the administration's economic direction, Uzodimma praised Tinubu for taking decisions he said previous administrations had avoided despite recognising the need for change.
He pointed to the removal of the petrol subsidy and the overhaul of the foreign exchange system, arguing that the previous arrangements placed enormous pressure on public finances and created benefits for a privileged few.
“The first thing we are proud of is the courage you brought to the problems you inherited when you took office,” Uzodimma said.
He argued that Tinubu acted decisively from the first day of his administration, despite knowing that the reforms could carry a political cost.
“Every Nigerian leader before you knew that these arrangements could not last. You were the only one who chose to end them. On the first day of your administration and in the full knowledge that it would cost your popularity, you did it,” he said.
The Imo governor also defended the administration's tax reforms and cited economic growth of 4.43 per cent, compared with 4.23 per cent a year earlier.
He acknowledged that the reforms had brought hardship and inconvenience to Nigerians but maintained that the country's economic direction was improving.
“Nobody here pretends that these reforms did not bring some hardship or some inconveniences to our people, but the institutions that measure economies of nations are now saying what we have been saying for some time, which is that Nigeria is on the right course,” he said.
The campaign council is expected to make the administration's economic policies and reform record central to its engagement with voters, while addressing concerns about their impact on households and businesses.
WIKE, ADELEKE AND SOLUDO SIGNAL SUPPORT
The gathering also featured goodwill messages from political figures whose presence underscored the breadth of the coalition assembled around Tinubu's re-election bid.
Adeleke, Soludo and Wike expressed support for the President's return to office in 2027, arguing that his administration should be allowed to continue its work.
Adeleke brought an energetic touch to the event, entertaining the packed hall with his trademark dance moves and drawing enthusiastic cheers from attendees.
Wike, speaking as a prominent PDP figure, praised Tinubu for confronting difficult national challenges rather than allowing them to persist.
“Previous administrations identified our problems, but did not tackle them. You have not shied away from tackling such problems. You tackled them from Day One,” the FCT minister said.
He challenged governors to ensure that their states delivered electoral victories for Tinubu, reinforcing the President's demand for concrete results from the party's political machinery.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, and elder statesman Alhaji Tanko Yakassai also called for support for a second Tinubu term to consolidate the administration's reform agenda.
TINUBU RECALLS LAGOS LEGACY
Beyond the national campaign, Tinubu used the occasion to acknowledge political allies who contributed to his record as governor of Lagos State.
He commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, for their contributions to the achievements recorded during his tenure, particularly efforts to address the threat posed by the Atlantic Ocean.
“There is a limit, but there is no limit in daring. We dared the Atlantic Ocean, and the result is the Atlantic City in Lagos,” he said.
The reference to Lagos reflected the President's broader effort to connect his political record with the development agenda he is presenting to Nigerians ahead of the next election.
THE ROAD TO 2027
As the APC moves into campaign mode, Tinubu's challenge to his supporters is clear: defend the administration's record, explain its reforms, engage Nigerians directly and convert political alliances into votes.
The President has emphasised that the campaign must not come at the expense of governance, while party leaders have pledged to take the administration's message to communities across the federation.
For the APC, the inauguration marks a decisive step towards the 2027 presidential election. The task now is to convince Nigerians that the administration's policies are delivering results, that present sacrifices will produce lasting benefits, and that Tinubu deserves another mandate.
The campaign machinery has been activated. The political alliances have been showcased. The battle for the electorate's confidence has begun.
Tinubu Mobilises APC for 2027, Pledges Renewed Covenant with Nigerians
