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| Governor Seyi Makinde |
As Nigeria’s 2027 presidential race intensifies with just months to the January 16 election, a sharp exchange between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has laid bare deep divisions over leadership style, accountability, and the realities of governing a nation of more than 200 million people under severe economic strain.
President Bola Tinubu, while inaugurating the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, told party leaders he would not join them at every rally or state tour. He framed the decision as a necessary prioritisation of governance over the demands of electioneering. “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 added that the responsibilities of office “do not pause,” citing unpaid bills, obligations to American creditors, and the need to attract long-term investors. “So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you; we have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait.” He pledged, however, to still speak directly to Nigerians while the council handled grassroots mobilisation, with formal campaign flag-off planned for October 24 in Kaduna.
The response from the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) of the APM was swift and scathing. In a statement issued Thursday by Director of Strategic Communication Richard Ihediwa, the camp of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde (APM presidential candidate) and his running mate, former DSS Director-General Lawal Daura, accused Tinubu of being “scared of being booed by Nigerians over his alleged failure.” They described the decision as “a desperate attempt to evade public resentment” and “an aberration in a democracy.”
“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 a half years,” the statement said. It called the move “a serious affront to the Nigerian electorate” that “makes a caricature of democratic ethos” and reinforces fears that the president is “not fit to face the rigours of governing a nation like Nigeria.” The campaign further alleged that the APC is “not ready for a free, fair and credible election but plotting to circumvent and compromise the process.”
The MDPCO argued that a leader confident in his record would eagerly defend it before voters. Instead, they claimed Tinubu is “fishing for excuses” after allegedly failing on key promises. They reminded him of his earlier remark that Nigerians should not re-elect him if he failed to fix electricity—pointing to what they describe as more epileptic supply and tariffs that have risen dramatically. They also criticised the removal of petrol subsidy, naira flotation, and other reforms as poorly cushioned, saying these have intensified hunger, eroded purchasing power, and plunged more citizens into poverty. “If governance was truly his priority…
President or ‘Governor’ Tinubu would not have been globe-trotting and staying away from the theatre of governance,” the statement added. “He should be eager to use the opportunity of the campaign to face Nigerians and take responsibility for his failures.”
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This clash sits within a broader, highly contested political landscape. INEC has cleared 18 presidential candidates for the January 16, 2027, poll. Tinubu seeks a second term on the APC ticket with Vice President Kashim Shettima. Makinde, an engineer and two-term Oyo governor known for infrastructure and education initiatives in his state, runs on the APM platform with Daura. Other notable contenders include Atiku Abubakar (ADC) and Peter Obi (NDC). The APM has positioned its campaign around a “Reset Nigeria” agenda, targeting a significant share of the more than 103 million registered voters and emphasising issue-based mobilisation, security expertise (citing Makinde’s background and Daura’s intelligence experience), and grassroots organisation. Recent APM statements have also framed labour strikes and public discontent as referendums on the administration’s economic policies.
Tinubu’s defenders and APC figures have long argued that the painful reforms—subsidy removal and currency unification—were necessary to correct long-standing distortions, attract investment, and put the economy on a sustainable path after years of accumulating problems. The president’s emphasis on investor attraction and debt obligations during the inauguration reflects this narrative: governance continuity, they say, matters more than constant campaign optics in a country still navigating macroeconomic adjustment. Critics, including the MDPCO, counter that the human cost has been too high, with widespread reports of hardship, and that physical presence on the campaign trail is a basic democratic expectation—allowing citizens to confront leaders directly.
The “Nebuchadnezzar Coalition” label used by the APM refers to the unusually broad composition of Tinubu’s campaign council, which has drawn in figures from outside the APC, including some governors and ministers from other parties. The MDPCO has previously criticised this as an attempt to paper over performance shortfalls rather than address them. Meanwhile, the APM has been active on other fronts, warning against electoral malpractice, stressing the importance of competent polling agents, and highlighting insecurity incidents as evidence of broader governance failures.
Historically, Nigerian presidential campaigns have featured extensive nationwide tours by incumbents and challengers alike, serving both as mobilisation tools and public accountability forums. Tinubu’s stated approach—delegating much of the touring while focusing on state duties—marks a notable departure, or at least a more explicit prioritisation.
Whether this reflects pragmatic realism about the demands of office or a calculated avoidance of potentially hostile receptions remains the core of the political argument. Public reactions in past months, including reports of limited crowds or expressions of discontent during some presidential appearances, have been seized upon by opposition voices as evidence of eroded goodwill.
With the election still months away, this exchange is unlikely to be the last. It underscores the central tension of the 2027 contest: whether voters will judge the Tinubu administration primarily on the difficult reforms it has pursued and any measurable stabilisation that follows, or on the immediate lived experience of higher costs, power challenges, and insecurity. The Makinde campaign is betting that direct confrontation and a “reset” message will resonate. Tinubu’s team is betting that steady governance and the machinery of incumbency, even with a less ubiquitous personal presence on the trail, will prevail.
For ordinary Nigerians, the debate is not abstract. Electricity reliability, food prices, job prospects, and personal security remain daily concerns. How candidates choose to engage—or choose not to—will form part of the public’s assessment of who is prepared to lead through the next four years. The coming weeks of formal campaigning will test whether Tinubu’s governance-first posture strengthens or weakens his case, and whether the APM’s aggressive critique of “evasion” can convert discontent into electoral momentum.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
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