Tinubu flags-off campaign, blasts opposition, backs APC governors against Rainbow Coalition

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday opened the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna with a direct attack on his political opponents, accusing them of creating the hunger and poverty currently facing Nigerians, while asking supporters to mobilise for his re-election on January 16, 2027.

Read Also: 2027: ‘They created the hunger’ — Tinubu slams opponents at Kaduna rally

The President described the opposition as failures and angry people who rely on heckling instead of constructive policy, saying they have nothing to offer the country.

Addressing the crowd at the campaign flag-off, Tinubu said: “I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger. They created the poverty we are trying to eradicate.”

He defended his administration’s record, saying: “We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I am proud of them. They are developing.”

Tinubu told supporters that a second term would deliver “prosperity, continuity, progress and development,” adding: “To you, the children of our country, it is a promise of second-term prosperity.

You will not regret going to vote.”

He repeatedly asked the audience to confirm that they possessed their Permanent Voter Cards, saying: “Do you have your PVC? Do you have your PVC? Show your hands up.”

The President also dismissed opposition criticism as anger arising from failure. “This is not a matter of hunger; this is not a matter of anger either. Our opponents are angry because they are failures. They have nothing to offer you but heckling,” he said.

“We have prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity. I assure you,” Tinubu declared.

In apparent support of the APC governors’ position against the call by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, for a rainbow coalition, Tinubu urged voters to come out “massively” on January 16, 2027, to re-elect him and support APC candidates across the board.

“Come January 2027, January 16, you must go out massively to elect me again. APC all the way. APC for our governors. APC for our senators. APC for our honourable members of the House of Representatives and all houses of assembly,” he said.

He added: “Your prosperity is here. Your future is in your hands; the fingerprint will reflect it.”

On the pledge by former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to bring back petrol subsidy if elected, Tinubu said the removal of fuel subsidy belonged to the past and pledged a future free of corruption and economic sabotage.

“Fuel subsidy is in our past. No more corruption. No more falsification of invoices. No more lies. No more smuggling of wealth,” he said.

He praised APC governors, saying: “Out of 36 of them, I can see the development strides they are making in their various states,” and reiterated his promise of “a better tomorrow.”

The Kaduna rally marks the formal launch of the APC’s campaign for Tinubu’s re-election ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

He cautioned voters to remain vigilant against lies and ensure that their choices are accurately reflected through fingerprinting.

President Tinubu acknowledged the historical significance of Kaduna State, where political leaders converged before independence.

He offered prayers for the souls of departed leaders, asking God to forgive their sins and grant them peaceful repose.

President Tinubu promised that voters would not regret supporting his re-election, under the pillars of growth, recovery and opportunity.

Key corrections

Speaking earlier, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima said “Nigeria needs this finest servant to stand together.”

According to him: “What we have done is to fight for the survival of this nation. So, allow me, Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, to reintroduce ourselves to you and show you that you do not have allies as sincere as we are.

“We were able to keep this country together and defy the predictions of those who had predicted economic failure because we worked together.

“Almost four years ago, you spoke eloquently, sincerely, boldly and decisively to elect a change-maker, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We didn’t win that election because we were wise, far from it. We didn’t win that election because we were rich, and we didn’t win that election because we were educated. We didn’t win that election because we were the best speakers. We won because you saw the options before you and knew, without a doubt, that the alternative was a calamity.’’

“And for the good people of Kaduna State, we have seen why you, too, were told to renew the mandate of the APC and give His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani a mandate to redeem the fortunes of this great state.

“His wisdom has made Kaduna State a unified place, where the man from Zonkwa sees the man from Zaria as a brother, and where the dividends of our democracy are felt in Kachia as they are in metropolitan Kaduna.

“This is the legacy of the APC in Kaduna State. This is the mandate we have come to ask you to renew: a second term for the APC, from top to bottom.”

Why Kaduna?

On why Kaduna was chosen, the Vice President said: “We have the courage to come to Kaduna State today because we have kept our promise and never reneged on it.

“First and foremost, we promised to restore the glory of Kaduna State as a national centre of learning. Did we deliver on that? We have brought you the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, haven’t we? We have carried forward the transition to the Federal University of Education, Zaria, haven’t we?

“We have established state vocational institutes in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf, with over 4,000 graduates.

“We have committed all our education funding through NELFUND to support hundreds of thousands of students in universities, haven’t we? So, the APC is a party that delivers on its promises.

“And you can bear witness that in 2015 and 2019, President Tinubu stood solidly behind the late President Muhammadu Buhari, securing his first- and second-term victories.

“This is the reason why we have all stood with him to declare our support for Alhaji Bola Tinubu. This is a man of honour, a man of integrity and a man of honour.”

Vanguard News

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