Tinubu, Atiku, Obi Step Up Votes Hunt, Makinde Flags Off Campaign

President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified his search for Nigerians’ votes for a second term of office in the 2027 general election, crisscrossing the country over the last week.

The Tinubu/APC campaign trail was in Calabar for the Cross River presidential campaign rally, where the Nigerian leader solicited the people’s support, promising, among others complete the Bakassi Deep Sea Port and the Coastal Highway, as well as establish the Secretariat of the Gulf of Guinea in Cross River State, if re-elected in 2027.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu said the completion of the projects would open Cross River to regional and international trade, boost economic activities and create employment opportunities for residents.

Vice President Shettima also led a high-powered APC delegation to Lafia for the party’s presidential campaign rally in Nasarawa, where he urged voters to deliver a straight-ticket victory for the party in the 2027 general election.

The vice president who spoke on behalf of the president stressed that a vote for Tinubu would ensure more dividends of democracy for the people of the state and the country.

He said Nasarawa had benefited immensely from reforms at the centre, which had led to massive infrastructure development, not only in the state but across the North-Central zone, citing projects such as the Lafia bypass linking the state to Benue and the Nasarawa -Plateau-Bauchi-Gombe highway, among others.

The campaign trail further moved to Ekiti State, where Vice Shettima said President Bola Tinubu remains committed to fulfilling the promise he made to Nigerians in 2023 to rescue the nation’s economy.

Also speaking in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, said the party was looking for 800,000 votes from Ekiti State in the presidential election.

The Tinubu/APC campaign team rounded up the week with a campaign rally in Rivers State, where the president, who was physically present, got the assurance of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the people of Rivers have resolved to vote for him in the 2027 presidential election, citing federal government projects and political appointments in the state.

Similarly, former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress(ADC), Atiku Abubakar flagged off his campaign rally in Sokoto, where he charged the people to come out en masse and vote as if it were Judgment Day.

Atiku vowed that he would not allow President Tinubu and the APC to rig him out in the 2027 presidential election, as he alleged happened in 2023.

He promised that an ADC administration would tackle insecurity, reopen Nigeria’s land borders and make Hajj and Christian pilgrimages affordable for Nigerians.

Atiku continued his presidential campaign in Kebbi State despite a Federal High Court judgement in Abuja nullifying the leadership ADC led by former Senate President David Mark and the process through which he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

The former vice president, who said he would appeal the judgement, proceeded to Kebbi for a previously scheduled campaign rally hours after the court delivered its ruling.

Justice Peter Lifu had declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal and nullified the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku as its flag bearer.

Atiku promised to restore security and bring back fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027, saying the 2027 election would be a referendum on the federal government’s policies and the struggle of Nigerians to survive.

Also, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) held a hall meeting in Cross River State after the attack on his convoy alongside the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, at the Watt Market Roundabout in Calabar, the state capital.

Obi, who condemned the attack when he later addressed the town hall meeting, pledged to unite Nigeria, tackle kidnapping and other forms of insecurity, and fight corruption if elected president.

He stressed that his administration would prioritise national unity, security, education, healthcare and the welfare of citizens.

Furthermore, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, flagged off his campaign in Bauchi State, where he urged President Tinubu and the APC to allow opposition parties to operate freely, insisting that Nigeria’s democracy must not be reduced to a one-party system.

Makinde said APM Reset Nigeria Agenda, backed by a policy framework and manifesto, would provide an alternative approach to tackling the country’s challenges.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took steps to strengthen its nationwide political structures as the party’s National Working Committee(NWC) and chairmen met in Abuja as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.

The PDP national chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, urged the state chairmen to work closely with the NWC, stressing the need for discipline, constitutional compliance and effective coordination across the party’s structures.

Mohammed expressed confidence in the candidates produced through the party’s nomination exercises for the various elective positions ahead of the 2027 elections.

Chairman of the PDP State chairmen’s Forum, Austin Nwachukwu, pledged the state chapters’ support for the national leadership, describing the chairmen as ready to implement decisions aimed at strengthening the party.

On the other hand, the national chairman of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Uche Nnadi, said the party will announce its preferred presidential candidate for the general elections before the end of November.

Nnadi disclosed this after APP’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, where members deliberated on its political direction and preparations for the 2027 election.

He said the party was considering major political contenders, including Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku, and Obi, before making its final decision.

Nnadi said the party’s preferred candidate will be formally unveiled at its forthcoming National Convention, where its position on the 2027 presidential election will also be communicated.

He further said the party would hold its National Convention and Campaign Rally in Kaduna for the Northern region and Owerri for the Southern region.