Reactions As APC Unveils Manifesto, Defends Tinubu’s Reforms

|  Gbajabiamila, Alake, Idris hail Tinubu’s economic reforms, describe manifesto as inviolable contract
|  In Jigawa, Tinubu unveils mechanised farming plan, rules out fuel subsidy return   
|  ADC, Makinde say manifesto recycles failed promises, allege plagiarism

By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, Ademu Idakwo and James Kwen, Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing them as necessary sacrifices for Nigeria’s long-term prosperity.

The ruling party said this while unveiling a new manifesto containing fresh promises ahead of the 2027 general election on Tuesday.

However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) dismissed the manifesto as a collection of recycled and unfulfilled promises, with the latter accusing the ruling party of appropriating ideas from the presidential vision of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

The APC Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), which unveiled the 2027–2031 manifesto, with the title, From Reforms to Prosperity, said the next phase of Tinubu’s administration would focus on translating the gains of economic reforms into tangible improvements in citizens’ living conditions.

The party promised safer communities, lower living costs, reliable electricity, more jobs and improved access to healthcare and education if Tinubu secured a second term.

The manifesto outlined development targets covering security, food production, infrastructure, industrialisation, education, healthcare and accountable governance.

It projected lower inflation, increased domestic food production, improved storage and processing facilities, and a 50 per cent reduction in post-harvest losses.

The party also pledged to make the movement of goods between states faster and cheaper to reduce living costs and strengthen food security.

Power, Jobs, Housing, Education

On electricity, the APC promised to scale available generation towards 10,000 megawatts, extend metering towards full coverage, reinforce transmission and distribution networks, and expand clean energy access to underserved communities.

It projected annual economic growth of six per cent, a 50 per cent reduction in youth unemployment and wider access to credit for economically active Nigerians.

Under its housing programme, the party proposed delivering 200,000 homes through the Tinubu Mass Social Housing Scheme, Renewed Hope housing initiatives, mortgage financing arrangements and licensed private developers.

It also pledged to halve the number of out-of-school children, deploy 20,000 additional teachers and expand health insurance coverage to 40 per cent of Nigerians.

The APC further targeted functional primary healthcare centres in at least 90 per cent of facilities, compared with the current 53 per cent.

On security, it promised stronger protection against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, improved police response and better border protection.

The manifesto also proposed establishing a flagship industrial hub in each of the six geopolitical zones, expanding non-oil exports and creating one million export-linked jobs for young Nigerians through talent and services exports by 2030.

Alake Defends Tinubu’s Reforms

Defending the administration’s economic policies at the unveiling, Minister of Solid Minerals Development and APC-PCC spokesperson, Dele Alake, said the reforms were already producing significant results, citing increased revenue from the solid minerals sector.

He said revenue generated by the sector rose from N6 billion in 2023 to N38 billion in 2024 and N70 billion in 2025, before exceeding N101 billion in the first nine months of 2026.

“When I resumed there in 2023, the total revenue that the sector generated was N6bn. With the introduction of creative policies and reforms, within one year, in 2024, it rose to N38bn. By 2025, it rose to N70bn,” he said.

Alake attributed the increase to reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, adding that Central Bank figures showed revenue had exceeded N101 billion between January and September 2026.

He also defended the removal of petrol subsidy and foreign exchange reforms, saying Tinubu had placed national interest above his political ambition ahead of the 2027 general election.

He challenged critics of the administration to a public debate, insisting that no civilian government since independence in 1960 had undertaken structural reforms on the scale of the present administration.

According to him, the new manifesto would consolidate the reforms and extend their benefits to security, healthcare, agriculture, industrialisation, manufacturing and solid minerals.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also urged Nigerians to support the reforms, saying their benefits were becoming evident across different sectors.

Idris cited improved security on the Abuja-Kaduna and Abuja-Kano highways, 1.6 million beneficiaries of the student loan scheme, declining inflation and rising gross domestic product as evidence of progress.

He also said Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list and improved international credit ratings had strengthened investor confidence.

While acknowledging the media’s responsibility to hold government accountable, Idris urged journalists to give attention to positive developments, arguing that constructive reporting was also important to nation-building.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said the manifesto was designed for all Nigerians, whom he described as members of Tinubu’s development team.

Bagudu said the President believed Nigeria could attain the level of economic development recorded by countries such as Brazil, questioning why the country could not build a $1 trillion economy.

He added that Nigerians had begun to experience the benefits of having a leader willing to take courageous decisions, particularly in implementing economic reforms.

Gbajabiamila: Manifesto Is Binding Commitment

Also speaking, Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, described the APC manifesto as an “inviolable contract” with Nigerians.

He said Tinubu had chosen to govern as a leader rather than a politician by implementing difficult economic reforms despite their immediate political and economic consequences.

According to him, the President prioritised future generations over the next election through the removal of petrol subsidy and reforms of the foreign exchange system.

“The difference between a politician and a leader is that while a politician thinks about the next election, a leader thinks about the next generation. And that is exactly what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated,” he said.

Gbajabiamila said the manifesto contained measurable targets and commitments that would subject the administration to public accountability while translating economic reforms into shared prosperity.

ADC: APC Recycling Failed Promises

But the ADC dismissed the manifesto, accusing the ruling party of attempting to deceive Nigerians with recycled promises.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the APC was making fresh promises as though it had not been in power for the past 12 years.

He argued that most of the commitments were similar to those the party made ahead of the 2023 general election but had failed to fulfil.

“They are just recycling the promises they made in 2023 to present before Nigerians for 2027.

“Nigerians are wiser and they know it is just a gimmick. They are gaming Nigerians and they will be voted out in 2027,” he said.

Abdullahi said the APC’s record in office, rather than another set of political assurances, would determine the outcome of the 2027 election.

“Nothing will save them. Nigerians will vote the party out because 2027 is a referendum on their performance,” he added.

Makinde Campaign Alleges Plagiarism

Similarly, the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation accused Tinubu and the APC of appropriating ideas from the manifesto of Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Nnanna Ihediwa, the organisation alleged that the APC copied Makinde’s campaign catchphrase, “a Nigeria that works for all Nigerians”, in the opening of its manifesto without acknowledgement.

It described the alleged appropriation as an admission that Makinde’s RESET Nigeria vision offered an alternative to Tinubu’s leadership.

The organisation, however, argued that although Tinubu could copy Makinde’s ideas, he lacked the leadership capacity and commitment to implement them.

It described the APC manifesto as a “woeful compendium of lies and deceit”, arguing that its promises on electricity, housing, industrialisation, job creation, security and education were unsupported by credible implementation plans.

The campaign organisation also questioned how the administration intended to revive the productive sector, create jobs, reduce borrowing and repay the N166.7 trillion in debt accumulated under Tinubu’s watch.

It cited the high cost of petrol, which it said had reached N1,400 per litre, against the N70,000 minimum wage, as evidence of the pressure on households.

It further criticised the administration’s tax and economic policies, accusing it of imposing additional burdens on citizens while enriching a few.

Contrasting Makinde’s RESET Nigeria philosophy with the APC manifesto, the organisation said its vision placed human welfare before fiscal statistics, with economic growth measured by improved livelihoods, jobs, purchasing power and shared prosperity.

It urged Nigerians to support Makinde and the APM in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

Tinubu Promises Interest-Free Loans For Farmers

Meanwhile, Tinubu, at the APC presidential campaign rally in Jigawa State on Tuesday, announced plans to introduce interest-free loans for small-scale farmers and establish mechanised farming service centres across the six geopolitical zones to boost food production and reduce prices.

He said the government would support farmers through subsidised farming initiatives, improved access to financing and mechanised facilities.

“We will subsidise farming. We will reward small-scale farmers. Interest-free loan for farmers is coming. Prosperity is coming,” he said.

The President also promised to strengthen agricultural research and development through universities, saying Nigeria had the arable land, manpower and commitment required to achieve food self-sufficiency.

“We have the arable land. We have the commitment. We have the people. We can feed ourselves and we will bring the food prices down to the minimum,” he said.

Tinubu identified mechanisation, irrigation and improved utilisation of arable land as key components of his administration’s agricultural strategy.

He dismissed calls for the restoration of petrol subsidy, insisting that the policy would not be reversed.

“To those who say subsidy is coming back, it’s a lie. Don’t let them lie to you again. It’s not going to come back,” he declared.

He said retaining the resources saved from subsidy removal would enable the government to invest in critical sectors, including agriculture, education and infrastructure.

On education, Tinubu described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a weapon against poverty. He added that funds recovered from irregularities by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as well as forfeited assets, would be channelled towards financing the scheme.

The President also pledged to strengthen the armed forces and police and improve the welfare of security personnel. He urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by providing information to help identify and prevent threats in their communities.

Tinubu praised Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi for his performance and urged residents to support his re-election bid.

Earlier, the President inaugurated four projects in the state: the Renewed Hope Technical Services Centre, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Multipurpose Skills Acquisition Centre, the state agricultural mechanisation programme and a dualised road project in Dutse.

The projects are expected to strengthen technical education, skills acquisition, agricultural mechanisation and road infrastructure.

Yari: Atiku, Obi Have Nothing To Offer

At the rally, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, said opposition presidential hopefuls, including Atiku Abubakar of the ADC and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had nothing to offer Nigerians.

Yari challenged the opposition candidates, particularly those from the North, to identify political figures they had supported in the South, contrasting their records with Tinubu’s support for candidates from other regions.

The former Zamfara State governor described Tinubu as a committed democrat who helped lay the foundation for Nigeria’s democracy, saying his opponents were now enjoying the benefits of his struggle.

“These, your opponents, they don’t have anything to offer more than what you are doing for Nigeria, more than what you have done, when you became a governor and what you have done for this part of this country,” he said.

Yari also dismissed claims that the North would reject Tinubu in 2027, saying the campaign rallies in Kaduna and Jigawa had demonstrated the President’s acceptance in the region.

He expressed confidence in Tinubu’s re-election, saying the President had the support of the people and divine favour.