2027: Controversy As Tinubu Rules Out Attending All Campaigns, INEC Releases Final Guber List

President Bola Tinubu midweek inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, where he declared that the party is ready and united to renew its covenant with Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general election.

The president also announced that he will not attend every campaign rally, insisting that Nigeria’s pressing needs require his attention and that governance must continue alongside electioneering.

He said the Presidential Campaign Council would take the party’s message to Nigerians across the country, while he remained focused on his responsibilities in office.

This announcement triggered controversy, especially among the opposition, as prominent figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation and the Labour Party criticised the plan, accusing Tinubu of avoiding questions about his administration’s performance.

Atiku said the president’s decision to skip campaign rallies raised questions about his willingness to address citizens’ concerns over economic hardship.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, the former vice president said campaign surrogates could not answer for the President’s decision.

“Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief?

He has had three and a half years to govern.

“The people on his campaign council did not receive the mandate in 2023. Tinubu did. He made the promises. He made the decisions. He must face the questions,” Atiku said

Obi, the presidential candidate of the NDC, maintained that Tinubu could not govern by proxy, campaign through surrogates and expect Nigerians to renew his mandate.

In a statement issued by his Media Office, Obi argued that the President should directly defend his record if he wanted another term.

“The President cannot delegate accountability. He cannot outsource the defence of his record to political allies, party chieftains and praise singers while millions of Nigerians struggle with the consequences of his government’s policies,” Obi said.

The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) accused Tinubu of avoiding voters because he feared public anger over his administration’s performance.

In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the organisation described the president’s decision not to campaign nationwide as an affront to democratic accountability.

The group argued that a president confident in his performance should be prepared to defend his record before the electorate.

It urged the president to withdraw from the race if he lacked the stamina to campaign nationwide, while promoting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and his RESET NIGERIA Agenda as an alternative.

Also, the Labour Party described Tinubu’s plan to skip some campaign tours as callous and disrespectful, arguing that he owed Nigerians a direct account of his stewardship.

The Labour Party’s Publicity Secretary, Eluma Asogwa, questioned whether the president regarded defending his record as a priority, particularly after spending roughly a month abroad on vacation.

On the other hand, the final lists of governorship candidates in 28 states and House of Assembly candidates in 36 states where elections have been scheduled for 6 February 2027, were released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and generated controversy over the week.

This is because political parties and candidates whose names were omitted from the final lists protested their exclusion, exploring measures and legal actions to extricate themselves from the quagmire.

The candidates affected by the omission include Isa Pantami(PDP, Gombe), Aminu Gwarzo(NDC, Kano), Ladi Adebutu(PDP, Ogun), John Upan Odey(NDC, Cross River), Prof Sebastine Hon, SAN(SDP, Benue), Senator Danjuma La’ah(ADC, Kaduna), Duwatsu Musa(AAC, Kwara), among others.

The NDC said it is looking into the omission of its Kano state governorship candidate and his running mate, Mustapha Rabi’u Kwankwaso, from the list of candidates published by INEC.

In a chat with LEADERSHIP, National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Osa Director, said the party will use every available legal means to ensure its candidate’s name is restored on the list.

INEC explained that it omitted some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections because their political parties failed to submit membership registers as required by law.

The commission also set October 24 as the deadline for political parties to report candidates wrongly omitted from the final list for the 2027 governorship election.

Meanwhile, the former PDP House of Representatives Aspirants Forum regrouped in the APC, committing to working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

Speaking during a courtesy call on the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, coordinator of the forum, Muhammad Danjuma, said they are determined to promote the Renewed Hope Agenda, strengthen party unity and support its programmes and electoral objectives.

In another development, the Governor of Ekiti state, Biodun Oyebanji and his deputy, Monisade Afuye, have been sworn in for a second term in office by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye.

The governor and his deputy were re-elected in the 20 June 2026 off-cycle governorship election in the state under the platform of the APC.

In his inaugural speech, Oyebanji, who pledged to create more opportunities, said growth must reach beyond Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, into towns, villages and farm settlements.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the ceremony, urged Oyebanji to make service to the Ekiti people his priority in the next four years.

“Today marks the beginning of another long season of service in which every decision made and every night spent will be joined by its impact on the people.

“The next four years demand a generosity of spirit that enables this victory, and a greater willingness to place Ekiti above the current moment,” he said.