2027: Tinubu to Kick Off Campaign in Kaduna on October 24

President Bola Tinubu will launch his 2027 re-election campaign in Kaduna on October 24, according to the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari.

Yari announced the date to State House correspondents on Friday evening after meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to discuss campaign preparations and the proposed schedule of state visits.

He said the campaign council would hold its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, October 14, at the State House Banquet Hall before proceeding with the Kaduna flag-off.

“We have put forward a proposal. The inaugural meeting of the campaign council is going to be done on the 14th of this month. That’s next Wednesday at the State House banquet hall, and by God’s grace, on the 24th of October, we’re going to do our flag-off campaign in Kaduna,” Yari said.

According to him, Tinubu approved the proposed arrangements and the itinerary for visits across the country.

Port Harcourt, Maiduguri to Follow Kaduna

Yari said the campaign would move to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after the Kaduna launch, followed by Maiduguri in Borno State.

He explained that the complete timetable would be made public after the council’s inaugural meeting.

“We have the timetable, and we are going to make it available after the inauguration. But this has all been understood and approved by the team of Mr President and I,” he said.

The planned visits come as supporters expand their mobilisation efforts, including grassroots engagements for Tinubu across northern Nigeria.

In Rivers, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has also maintained his backing for the President, while explaining that supporting Tinubu does not extend automatically to every APC candidate.

Yari Questions Opposition’s Nationwide Support

Responding to questions about the challenge from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Yari argued that winning the presidency required substantial support in both northern and southern Nigeria.

Atiku is contesting on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate. Obi is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

The opposition has also been organising its election structures, including the ADC’s presidential campaign council for Atiku.

Yari questioned whether Atiku could claim a stronghold in the South and whether Obi could claim similar influence in the North.

“Even if you have control of 80 per cent of the South, if you don’t have anything in the North, you cannot make it. If you have 80 per cent of control of the North, if you don’t have any state in the South, you can’t make it,” he said.

He cited the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s unsuccessful presidential bids before his eventual victory, arguing that northern strength alone had not been sufficient.

By contrast, Yari claimed Tinubu had strong political backing in more than 10 states in each of the two broad regions.

“This is calculation, it is not rocket science,” he said.

APC to Campaign on Tinubu’s Record

Yari said the APC would present the administration’s achievements to voters, maintaining that the President had improved the economic situation inherited on assuming office.

“So I think we have done enough that we can tell our opponents about what we did. We are not promising. We are doing it, and we are going to continue,” he said.

The remarks reflect the administration’s defence of its economic programme, which Tinubu also addressed in his 2026 Independence Day speech on reforms and economic recovery.

Tinubu appointed Yari as campaign Director-General on August 22, 2026, with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as secretary. The President chairs the council, while Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda serve as vice chairmen.

Presidential Election Scheduled for January 16

The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027.

Under the electoral timetable, presidential campaigning runs from August 19, 2026, to January 15, 2027. INEC has said 18 candidates are contesting the presidency.

The campaign will unfold against a national electorate exceeding 103 million registered voters, with significant differences in voter numbers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.