2027: Presidential Campaigns Gather Steam As INEC Intensifies Preparations

The campaign for the 16 January 2027 presidential election is gathering steam, with the polls three months away.

Though both the presidential and National Assembly elections campaigns kicked off on August 19, many political parties have not commenced serious campaigns, except for a few consultative meetings and the constitution of campaign councils.

However, in the week under review, the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) Presidential Campaign Council announced the schedule of major activities, including the inauguration of the team on Wednesday next week.

The Director-General of the Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, disclosed this after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, where he briefed him on preparations for the campaign and the timetable for planned state visits.

He said the campaign team had agreed on the schedule with the President and secured his approval for the proposed activities, disclosing that the campaign will kick off in Kaduna on 24 October.

Yari added that the campaign team had also drawn up a timetable for visits to states across the country, with Port Harcourt and Maiduguri among the next destinations.

Similarly, National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, inaugurated the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the 2027 general election.

In his remarks, Mark said the inauguration was a formal activation of machinery for the 2027 campaign and urged the council to go to every state, local government, ward and community and engage all categories of Nigerians.

Chairman of the council, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, charged members of his team to see the assignment as a burden of hope for Nigerians and asked the people to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in next year’s polls.

Also, the African Action Congress (AAC) inaugurated its Presidential Campaign Council with the aim of intensifying nationwide mobilisation for its presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and his running mate, Haruna Magashi.

AAC acting National Chairman, Samuel Ajeigbe and National Secretary, Oshiokhue Ikpeminoghena, in a statement, said the inauguration marked “a major step forward” in the party’s preparations to mobilise Nigerians ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The council will be led by Abdullahi Usman as Director-General, supported by deputies responsible for Strategy and Political Affairs, and Diaspora and Resource Mobilisation. Juwon Sanyaolu will serve as the Campaign Council Secretary.

Furthermore, the Nigerian Democratic Congress(NDC) announced that the party will inaugurate its Presidential Campaign Council on October 20, 2026 at a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where certain key decisions related to next year’s polls will be ratified.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Senator Moses Cleopas, who disclosed this while addressing in Abuja, said it was in preparation for the party’s full campaign takeoff.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the final phase of preparations for the election as its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting marking 100 days to the first ballot.

Amupitan said the Commission had moved decisively from planning into execution, noting that election materials were being produced, critical technology systems were undergoing quality assurance tests, the voter register was ready for public display and ad hoc personnel recruitment and training were progressing nationwide.

He said the Commission had already completed 9 of the 14 statutory milestones set out in the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 general election.

The Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has been holding strategic town hall meetings across northern Nigeria.

He used the zonal town hall meetings to present his Reset Nigeria agenda and engage political stakeholders on insecurity, economic hardship and governance.

The campaign has held engagements in Katsina, representing the North-West; Lafia, Nasarawa State, representing the North-Central zone; and Adamawa State, representing the North-East. The meetings form part of the campaign organisation’s nationwide consultations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In Katsina where the North-West Engagement held on 22 September, Makinde unveiled his Reset Nigeria agenda, outlining priorities such as economic productivity, education, security and governance reforms. He advocated addressing the root causes of insecurity and devolving more powers to state governments. His running mate, Lawal Musa Daura, also identified insecurity as a major challenge facing the region.

In Lafia, where the North-Central Engagement on 28 September, Makinde promised that Nigeria could be reset within four years if he were elected president. Discussions focused on economic recovery, security and education, alongside proposed interventions for women in agriculture, market women, widows and persons with disabilities. The campaign also reported defections from other political parties at the gathering.

In Yola, where the North-East Engagement on 10 October, Makinde called for greater political accountability, honesty and leadership focused on citizens’ welfare. He argued that voters should judge politicians by their records and their ability to deliver on their promises. According to media reports, the meeting was attended by Daura, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and other APM figures.

In another development, the North Central APC held a mega rally in Lafia, Nasarawa state, in support of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The rally, organised under the auspices of the North Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network, was hosted by Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, while the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, headlined the event attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, governors, ministers, lawmakers, and other party chieftains.

In this vein, some ADC and NDC House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election have formally joined the APC.

The candidates including mine House Representatives and three State Houses of Assembly drawn from Taraba, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau were led by the founder of Baba Tinubu Fisabilillah 2027, Princess Aslam Aliyu were received into the party by APC National Chairman, Yilwatda at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

The defectors pledged to mobilise two million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, vowing to strengthen the APC’s grassroots support and boost the president’s re-election bid.

On the other hand, opposition knocked the federal government over the proposal to introduce a price-modulation mechanism for petrol, with a proposed ceiling of N1,350 per litre on the ex-gantry or landing cost of the product.

The NDC described the plan as nothing but tokenism and a Greek gift from a government that “whimsically removed fuel subsidy without proper consideration, consultation, or cushions for Nigerians.

The opposition party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Osa Director, declared that Nigerians cannot be deceived.

Also, former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, condemned the proposal, describing it as a desperate, temporary gesture that cannot repair the damage caused by the crushing cost of fuel.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the Tinubu administration’s attempt to dangle a fuel subsidy as bait for Nigerians was reckless, disgraceful and scandalous.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, said the 30-day petrol discount has no legal backing and no substantial plan to implement it effectively to reduce the hardship inflicted on Nigerians over the past three and a half years of President Tinubu’s administration.

Adebayo, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, dismissed the intervention as a flashy gesture without foundation, saying the government failed to cite any law authorising it.