President Bola Tinubu has challenged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to deliver votes from their respective wards in the 2027 general election, warning that their contributions would count only after they produce results at the polls.
Tinubu gave the charge on Wednesday during the inauguration of the council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as the ruling party formally stepped up preparations for his re-election campaign.
“No one gets credit for an incomplete assignment. So, until you deliver the next election, until you deliver your wards, until you deliver the votes, before we can say thank you,” the president said.
The warning places the burden of electoral mobilisation squarely on the party’s campaign machinery, with its members expected to translate their political influence and positions into votes for the president.
Tinubu thanked party members for their support during the previous election but said the inauguration represented more than the formation of a campaign structure, describing it as a renewed commitment to Nigerians.
“The APC is ready. We have not gathered merely to inaugurate a council; we have gathered to renew a covenant, a covenant with the Nigerian people and the historic responsibility they have entrusted to us as Nigeria’s governing party. We promise we will not let them down,” he said.
The president expressed confidence in the party’s ability to secure victory, assuring members that they would share in the outcome of their efforts.
However, Tinubu said he would not participate in every aspect of the campaign, insisting that the demands of governance would not be suspended for electioneering.
He said party members had advised him against allowing campaign activities to distract him from his presidential responsibilities, adding that he agreed with their position.
“You have warned me and asked 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 than ever before,” he said.
“The responsibility of this office does not pause. That responsibility did not recognise our agenda here today. The Constitution allows INEC to make room for parliament but not for the campaign. The job must go on.”
Tinubu, however, pledged to address Nigerians directly during the campaign, while leaving the council to coordinate mobilisation across states and local government areas.
“I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas, so you will excuse me from going everywhere with you,” he said.
The campaign council is chaired by Tinubu, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda serving as first and second vice-chairmen, respectively.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq are deputy vice-chairmen, while former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari was appointed director-general.
Other appointments include Femi Gbajabiamila as head of administration, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as secretary and former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje as director of stakeholder mobilisation. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is also among the campaign officials, while Dele Alake was named spokesman.
The council has directorates covering mobilisation, election planning and monitoring, finance, fundraising and regional coordination.
The party has also named political figures outside its ranks to coordinate support in selected states and regions. They include Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike for Rivers State and the FCT, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo for Anambra and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for Osun.
Tinubu is seeking a second term in the 2027 presidential election, scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission for January 16, 2027.
