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Every election campaign has its own cadence and rhythm, an atmosphere that sets it apart. The crucial phase in the struggle for the 2027 presidential election in Nigeria began last Wednesday, with the 150-day campaign window running through August 19, 2026 to January 15, 2027. This is in line with Section 98(I) of the 2026 Electoral Act. The campaign period sets the stage for the all-important presidential poll scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The ruling All Progressives Congress had on Saturday, August 22, unveiled a crowded 223-member Presidential Campaign Council, with former Gov of Zamfara state Abdul-Aziz Yari as Director -General, and Gov Hope Uzodimma of Imo state as Secretary. President Tinubu named himself and vice president Kashim Shettima as Chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of Campaign Council. As the incumbent President, it won’t be a surprise for pundits to project Tinubu as the front-runner, whose ancient agenda has prevailed within his own party – the APC.
That’s why you hear political surrogates and hustlers declaring the election is all done and dusted. Minister of FCT Nyesom Wike last week bragged that the presidential election would be a “walk over” for Tinubu. He also boasted to give Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, “High blood pressure and crisis”. That’s typical Wike. He has never reckoned with the power of the ballot box and the will of the people to decide the outcome. This kind of gibberish comment runs against the Peace Accord the presidential candidates, including President Tinubu(represented by Secretary to the the Government of the Federation George Akume) signed recently in Abuja. Unknown to Wike, politics is not given to simple theorising. In a statement unveiling the Presidential Campaign Council, Tinubu said, “we have delivered on our campaign promises and set our country on the path of economic progress”. He also claimed that the country is out of the “dark tunnel and now at the cusp of reaping the benefits of a prosperous economy that will benefit all Nigerians”. Since campaigns started last week, I have been trying to figure out what record of performance President Tinubu would campaign on. I have not seen concrete accomplishment.
Under Tinubu presidency, Nigeria is facing something far more dangerous than just political failure. In 2023, he promised “Renewed Hope”. Instead, under his leadership, despair has supplanted hope. Another 4 more years will be more catastrophic than anything you can imagine. Has he fixed the power sector that he anchored his re-election four years ago and asked Nigerians to judge with or reject him if he failed to do so. “Don’t vote for me if I fail to fix electricity”, he said in one of his campaign speeches, December 2022.
What about insecurity he promised to contain within 6 months in office? Hasn’t insecurity become much worse than he met it? Nigeria has since become a killing field by kidnappers. Has the economy turned the corner or worse under Tinubu’ watch? National debt stock has risen to an all-time high of over N159trn. He also promised a GDP growth of 6%. He has failed to deliver on that promise. He also promised to stabilise the value of the naira against major foreign currencies. He has not.
Today,our currency is ranked the 4th worst national currency in the world. With subsidy removal netting over N15.8trn in revenue, has it improved the lives of suffering Nigerians? Borrowing spree continues amid debt service surge. It has become a source of feeding the rich and impoverishing the poor. It’s, therefore, not unkind to say that no elected president in this dispensation has imperiled the country and pauperised the citizens as Tinubu administration has done in three years. No accomplishment to deserve a second tenure.
Doubts about Tinubu’s competence and his ability to lead the country for another 4 years are as deep-seated as ever. Under a free and fair election, he’s the most vulnerable of all the presidential candidates put together, regardless of the incumbency factor. The critical question before Nigerians as the elections approach is: Are you better off now than you were before Tinubu became president? It’s a question every voter must answer before going to cast his or her vote on January 16, 2027.
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When Ronald Reagan, the Republican challenger beat the then incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the November 1980 U.S presidential election, ten short words proved decisive. Reagan had asked the voters in his closing statements of the presidential debate: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Reagan used that rhetorical question to frame that year’s election campaign as a referendum on the previous four years of the Carter administration, which was plagued by high inflation, energy crisis, and the Iran hostage crisis.
He challenged American voters to evaluate their personal economic wellbeing, national unemployment, America’s global standing, and the country’s security compared to 1976. Reagan also argued that if the answer to those points he raised was “No”, then the choice for the next president of America was obvious. The question Reagan raised has since become one of the most famous and enduring sound bites in modern political history. It also remains a staple of political discourse. That simple question that resonated so strongly with American voters 46 years ago has resurfaced ahead of Nigeria’s most consequential presidential election in 2027.
Under Tinubu presidency, Nigerians are worse off today than they were over three years ago, except for those in government. Without a doubt, this is the worst period Nigerians are facing since the present democratic dispensation, 27 years ago. Poverty has become a tool of control under Tinubu’s administration. I agree with the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) Mr. Peter Obi who has challenged other candidates wishing to lead the country for the next 4 years to come before the electorate, defend their records and answer questions about their capacity to govern the country.
Obi who spoke at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra state to begin his campaign, said no presidential candidate should “hide behind the high walls of power or rely on proxies and surrogates” during the 150-day campaign. Truly, Nigerians deserve to hear directly from those seeking their mandate. Such leaders should subject their records, credentials and policy proposals to public scrutiny. Nigeria should not be made to look like Paul Biya’s Cameroon who never appeared in public, yet was declared winner.
Leadership requires physical presence of mind and empathy. That’s what Nigerians expect every candidate to do, including President Tinubu. A leader seeking political office should lead from the front, not from the rear. That’s what it means to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Tinubu should dispel insinuations that he doesn’t have the physical energy required for a rigorous campaign and debate. He should tell Nigerians why he deserves their mandate for a second term amid the popular opinion that the country needs a new direction and a new leadership.
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