2027: ‘He Is Afraid Of Insecurity, His Own Reforms’ — Nigerians React As Tinubu Limits Campaign Travels

President Bola Tinubu’s decision to limit his participation in campaign rallies ahead of the 2027 general election has sparked reactions, with some Nigerians questioning whether insecurity, public anger over economic hardship and concerns about his capacity to sustain an extensive campaign schedule could influence the move.

Recall that Tinubu had told members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council not to expect him to accompany them to every campaign event ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that he needed to concentrate on governance and the country’s economic responsibilities.

The President spoke on Wednesday during the inauguration of the council in Abuja, where he urged members to take the party’s message to Nigerians across the states and local government areas while he attended to matters of governance.

Tinubu said the demands of the campaign should not distract him from his responsibilities as President, adding that Nigeria needed his attention at the moment.

“You’ve warned 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.

“So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you, we have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait,” Tinubu said.

Reacting to this development, a Nigerian resident, Aliu Eke Balarebe, argued that the President could face challenges traveling across the country to campaign amid widespread insecurity and dissatisfaction with his administration’s policies.

Balarebe identified insecurity, public anger over economic hardship and concerns about the President’s health and capacity as three possible reasons for his decision not to accompany members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to every campaign event.

Speaking during an interview, he said the security situation in parts of the country could make extensive campaign travels difficult for the President.

“There are numerous reasons, but three major factors explain why he cannot travel. One is insecurity. There is no way he can travel to those states because there is a lot of insecurity,” he said.

He also suggested that public dissatisfaction with the administration’s policies could expose the President to criticism if he attended campaign rallies across the country.

According to him, Nigerians struggling with economic hardship could use the campaign events to demand explanations from the President about his administration’s performance.

“Two, he is running away from his own record. He is afraid that Nigerians are angry with him. Nigerians are so burdened that they are living in hardship, and there is a lot of anger. They are going to challenge him at the rallies, and he does not have anything to say to Nigerians,” Balarebe said.

He further raised questions about the President’s health and physical capacity to participate in an extensive campaign schedule, suggesting that these could be additional factors behind his decision to delegate campaign activities to party officials.

However, he did not provide evidence to support his claims about the President’s health or the reasons behind the decision.