President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the 2027 general election, declaring that the party was united and ready to renew its covenant with Nigerians.
At the inauguration ceremony held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, the President charged council members and party leaders to demonstrate unity, commitment and dedication as they prepared for the election, while ensuring that the administration’s governance priorities remained firmly on track.
President Tinubu expressed confidence in the council and the party’s ability to work together towards their objectives, stressing that unity, discipline and a shared sense of purpose would be essential to the task ahead.
“As I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude and a spirit full of resolve, it is my honour to inaugurate the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general election. I thank all of you for the last election, but no one gets credit for an incomplete assignment until you deliver the next election, until you deliver your electoral wards, until you deliver the votes,” he said.
The President also acknowledged the advice of the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who counselled him not to allow the rigours of the election campaign to distract him from his governance responsibilities.
In his remarks, Uzodimma assured the President that the governors and other party leaders would do their best to communicate the right message to Nigerians during the campaign.
President Tinubu described the advice as timely, noting that while the APC Presidential Campaign Council would intensify political mobilisation, his administration remained committed to delivering on its promises and addressing the needs and aspirations of Nigerians.
“However, I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas. We have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait. We want those investors to come in and invest for the future of our children,” the President said.
He urged members of the council to conduct their activities responsibly, engage Nigerians constructively and highlight the administration’s policies and programmes under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
President Tinubu also commended Vice President Kashim Shettima for his eloquence and patriotic approach to national development, describing his speech as excellent.
The President further acknowledged the contributions of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, to the achievements recorded during his tenure as governor of Lagos State, particularly efforts to address the threat posed by Atlantic Ocean encroachment.
“There is a limit, but there is no limit in daring. We dared the Atlantic Ocean, and the result is the Atlantic City in Lagos,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima earlier commended President Tinubu’s courage and conviction in advancing democracy in Nigeria.
He cited the President’s support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 2007, when Atiku sought to contest the presidency on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Shettima criticised Atiku for what he described as an attempt to diminish the stature of the presidency.
“You can call him Bola, if you like, call him Adekunle, but he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Shettima said.
The Vice President also criticised Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Movement, accusing him of presenting misleading statistics and comparing Nigeria with other countries without sufficient context.
Earlier, APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda said the inauguration reflected the party’s shared commitment to building a better Nigeria.
He said the presence of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike demonstrated their support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Yilwatda urged council members to communicate the President’s achievements and policies clearly and confidently, noting that significant progress had been recorded over the past three years.
He assured the President that the council would take its campaign to every ward, local government area and state to mobilise voters for the 2027 election.
“We must show Nigerians how this investment and reforms can translate into practical improvement in our daily lives. This is the substance of our campaign.
“A clear record, an honest assessment of the challenges and a credible vision of the future. I understand our members’ expectations as we approach the next general election.
“Our strength depends on the effectiveness of our national leadership, the commitment of the state chapters led by our governors, the organisation of our local governments and the dedication of our members at the ward level.
“Let the coming election be a contest of ideas, records and policies, conducted peacefully and with respect for the Nigerian people, because we know we’ve done so much for the Nigerian people, and the Nigerian people always respect us,” he said.
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who also serves as secretary of the campaign council, assured the President that the administration’s policies and programmes would make the council’s work easier.
He added that the campaign would focus on issues and the administration’s record in office.
Uzodimma commended the President’s willingness to confront longstanding national challenges that, he said, previous administrations had avoided, adding that Nigerians recognised the significance of those decisions.
“The first thing we are proud of is the courage you brought to the problems you inherited when you took office. The country was spending more money on petrol subsidies than on many of its most important public services combined. And a system of multiple exchange rates rewarded a few at everyone else’s expense.
“Every Nigerian leader before you knew that these arrangements could not last. You were the only one who chose to end them. On the first day of your administration and in the full knowledge that it would cost your popularity, you did it,” he said.
The governor also praised the administration’s tax reforms, noting that, alongside other economic measures, they had coincided with an increase in economic growth to 4.43 per cent from 4.23 per cent a year earlier.
“Nobody here pretends that these reforms did not bring some hardship or some inconveniences to our people, but the institutions that measure economies of nations are now saying what we have been saying for some time, which is that Nigeria is on the right course,” Uzodimma said.
In their goodwill messages, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike expressed support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying they wanted him to continue his administration’s work.
Governor Adeleke drew cheers from the packed hall with his trademark dance steps.
Wike, who remains a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he supported President Tinubu because of what he described as the President’s bold leadership and clear direction for the country.
“Previous administrations identified our problems, but did not tackle them. You have not shied away from tackling such problems. You tackled them from Day One,” the minister said.
Wike also challenged the governors to deliver their respective states for President Tinubu in the 2027 election.
In their goodwill messages, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, and elder statesman Alhaji Tanko Yakassai also called on Nigerians to support the President’s second-term bid, saying this would enable him to consolidate the gains of his reform agenda.
