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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the campaign organisation of his Allied Peoples Movement (APM) counterpart, Governor Seyi Makinde, have challenged President Bola Tinubu to personally defend his administration’s record before Nigerians as he seeks re-election.
Reacting to Tinubu’s disclosure that he would not attend all campaign engagements, they argued that the President could not leave governors, ministers and other political allies to answer questions about promises he made to voters in 2023.
Tinubu had told members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council during its inauguration at the State House on Wednesday that he would not accompany them everywhere, saying he agreed with advice that electioneering should not interfere with governance.
However, Atiku, in a statement by the Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said seeking another mandate required the President to account directly for his first term.
“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.
“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term. Let him look a mother in the eye and explain what his government has done to make food affordable. Let him tell pensioners why they cannot afford their medicines. Let him explain to young Nigerians why years of study and hard work have still not brought them decent jobs.”
The former vice president argued that the concerns of Nigerians deserved the same urgency as the administration’s engagements with creditors and investors.
“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.
Atiku maintained that assembling political allies to campaign across the country would not relieve Tinubu of responsibility for his administration’s decisions.
“He can fill every campaign stage in Nigeria. He cannot fill an empty pot with surrogates. He cannot send a politician into a market to persuade prices to fall,” he said.
“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.”
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Similarly, the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO), in a statement by its Director of Strategic Communication, Richard Ihediwa, alleged that Tinubu’s decision reflected a desire to avoid public anger over his administration’s performance.
It described his explanation as inadequate, arguing that a president confident of his achievements should welcome opportunities to defend them before voters.
“MDPCO considers President Tinubu’s decision not to accompany the ‘Nebuchadnezzar Coalition’ Campaign Council to every state of the federation as a desperate attempt to evade public resentment, knowing that his government has hopelessly renewed the ‘anger’ of Nigerians, rather than their ‘hope’ in the past three and half years,” it stated.
The organisation also alleged that the decision raised concerns about the APC’s commitment to a credible election.
“The decision not to campaign around the country also reinforces public apprehension that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not ready for a free, fair and credible election but plotting to circumvent and compromise the process against the will of the people,” it said.
Like Atiku, the Makinde campaign criticised the administration’s handling of living costs, employment and public services, arguing that Nigerians deserved explanations for the gap between campaign promises and their daily experiences.
It accused the government of implementing petrol subsidy removal and the naira float without adequate protection for vulnerable households.
“Hunger has intensified, purchasing power has eroded, and poverty has become an unbearable reality for countless Nigerians. The administration’s economic prescriptions have imposed enormous sacrifices on citizens without delivering the relief and prosperity they were promised,” it said.
The organisation also criticised the administration’s electricity and security records, alleging that persistent attacks by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal groups had left communities exposed.
“The monumental failures in security, economic management and governance explain why President Tinubu is reluctant to take his re-election campaign directly to Nigerians,” it stated.
The MDPCO urged Tinubu to withdraw from the January 16, 2027 presidential contest if he could not undertake a nationwide campaign, presenting Makinde’s Reset Nigeria Agenda as an alternative.
“Our campaign organization insists that President Tinubu cannot continue to demand another mandate without coming out to campaign and account for the conditions under which Nigerians currently live,” it said.
It maintained that the country required an active president capable of leading from the front and addressing its security, economic and social challenges.
