2027: Tinubu’s campaign to go ward-by-ward, says Abbas

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council will take President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign to every constituency, ward, street and household ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Abbas said the strategy would involve grassroots mobilisation and presenting what he described as the achievements of the Tinubu administration to Nigerians.

He spoke on Wednesday during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The Speaker urged members of the council to rely on facts rather than insults, propaganda or divisive appeals based on religion, ethnicity and regional differences.

“Go to every state with facts. Go to every constituency with facts. Go to every ward with facts. Tell Nigerians what changed, why it changed, what has been achieved, and what remains to be done,” he said.

Abbas described members of the campaign council as “Ambassadors of Truth” and “Ambassadors of the Renewed Hope Agenda”, urging them to respond to criticism with evidence and clear explanations.

“An ambassador does not invent evidence. An ambassador masters it. An ambassador does not insult the public. An ambassador respects its intelligence. An ambassador does not avoid difficult questions. An ambassador answers them,” he added.

The Speaker also defended the administration’s economic reforms, arguing that Tinubu’s first term had laid the foundation for stability, while a second term would be needed to translate the reforms into tangible benefits for Nigerians.

“The first term laid the foundation. The second term must complete the structure. The first term expanded public revenue. The second term must turn revenue into public value,” Abbas said.

He added, “Nigeria has paid the price of reform. Nigeria must now receive the dividend of consolidation.”

Abbas urged the campaign council to convince voters that continuity under Tinubu would serve the country better than a reversal of the administration’s policies.

He argued that the opposition had yet to present a credible alternative to the APC government, accusing its leaders of condemning reforms without explaining how they would fund key public services.

“The opposition will try to reduce this election to anger. We must elevate it to an argument. They condemn reform but offer no credible replacement. They promise reversal without calculating its cost,” he said.

The Speaker challenged opposition parties to explain how they would finance education, sustain student loans, protect the minimum wage and fund infrastructure, electricity and healthcare.

“How will they fund education? How will they sustain student loans? How will they protect the minimum wage? How will they finance roads, power, and healthcare?” he asked.

Abbas described the opposition’s political alliances as a regrouping of familiar figures rather than a credible alternative programme for governing Nigeria.

“But a rearrangement of ambition is not a programme of government,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged the constitutional right of opposition parties to challenge the government, insisting that credible alternatives must be built on clear policies, facts and workable solutions.

Abbas also assured Tinubu that the House of Representatives would remain a strong legislative partner, promising to complete priority legislation, intensify oversight and support institutional stability.

“We will complete priority legislation. We will intensify oversight. We will defend institutional stability,” he said.

The Speaker urged APC campaigners to explain why they believed Tinubu deserved another term, insisting that the 2027 election would be a choice between consolidating ongoing reforms and abandoning them.