2027: Tinubu kicks off campaign in Kaduna 24 October

President Bola Tinubu will begin his 2027 re-election campaign in Kaduna on 24 October.

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The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, announced this on Friday after meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Mr Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State and senator representing Zamfara West, said he has approved the timetable for the campaign.

He said the council would hold its inaugural meeting on 14 October at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.

“The President asked for me to come and brief him on where we are, and to discuss the timetable for the state visits,” he told State House correspondents.

“The inaugural meeting is going to be done on the 14th of this month. That’s next Wednesday at the State House banquet hall, and by God’s grace, on the 24th of October, we’re going to do our flag-off campaign in Kaduna, inshallah.”

He said the campaign team would subsequently visit Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Maiduguri, Borno State.

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According to him, the full schedule of state visits, which Mr Tinubu has approved, will be released after the council’s inauguration.

Yari dismisses Atiku, Obi’s chances

Speaking on the chances of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election, Mr Yari argued that neither had sufficient political support across northern and southern Nigeria to defeat Mr Tinubu.

He questioned whether Mr Obi could claim control of any state in northern Nigeria or whether the opposition could demonstrate comparable strength in the South.

Mr Yari maintained that a presidential candidate needed support in both regions to win an election.

He cited former President Muhammadu Buhari, who unsuccessfully contested three presidential elections before winning in 2015, arguing that his earlier defeats showed the difficulty of winning without sufficient support in southern Nigeria.

The senator claimed that Mr Tinubu currently enjoyed political control of more than 10 states each in the North and South.

“This is calculation, it is not rocket science,” he said.

READ ALSO: Atiku asks Tinubu to “step down” over economic hardship, says 30-day petrol discount exposes policy failure

He also defended the president’s economic policies, saying the administration had improved the situation it inherited in 2023.

“We are not promising. We are doing it, and we are going to continue,” he said.

The planned Kaduna event comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.

Under the Independent National Electoral Commission’s revised timetable, public campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections commenced on 19 August 2026, while the presidential election is scheduled for 16 January 2027.