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 event ahead of the 2027 general election, saying he must remain focused on governance and the country’s economic responsibilities.
Tinubu spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where he urged members to take the party’s message to Nigerians across the states and local government areas while he continued to attend to matters of governance.
The president said he agreed with concerns that the demands of the campaign should not distract him from running the country, adding that Nigeria needed his attention at the moment.
“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 told council members to excuse him from accompanying them to every campaign event, noting that his administration had bills to pay and international financial obligations to meet.
“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 said the government needed to attract investors who would commit to long-term investments in Nigeria and contribute to the future of 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.
The president, however, assured Nigerians that he would continue to engage them directly even as the campaign council took charge of 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 of the council as more than a campaign activity, saying it represented a renewed commitment to Nigerians and the responsibilities of 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 added that the council was expected to communicate the administration’s vision, achievements and agenda to voters nationwide.
“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 commended APC members for completing the party’s congresses, recalling that some had predicted internal crises during the process.
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.
