President Bola Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu watched the live inauguration of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement for 2027 from the State House in Abuja on Thursday, July 9, sparking a wave of reactions on social media.
Footage of the moment, shared on X by user @Imranmuhdz, showed the president and Ribadu seated in an official office setting at the Presidential Villa as the inauguration played out on screen. The event is widely seen as part of the All Progressives Congress's (APC) early groundwork ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the ruling party banking on intensive community-level outreach to consolidate support for Tinubu's re-election bid.
Mixed Reactions from Nigerians
The inauguration drew swift reactions from Nigerians online, with opinions sharply divided between supporters who view the initiative as a sign of organisational seriousness and critics who argue it cannot replace tangible improvements in living conditions.
@ArunaSegun26525 offered measured support while cautioning the president: "After this inauguration, the president still has a lot to do. He should not just rely wholly on this; there should be more evidence of improvement in the economy. Sometimes, the people that surround our leaders deceive them."
@godswill_edozie dismissed the movement entirely: "Door to Door Movement? What happened to City Boy Movement? No matter the movement APC wants to form. They won't win the coming election. You're meant to campaign with your achievements, not with a movement as an opposition. APC has been in power for 12 years and has nothing to show."
Critics Question Campaign Strategy
@akpancino drew a marketing analogy to make his point: "The only time a product needs a door to door marketing-campaign if it is new to the market or a bad product where you try to sell it with some discount. Marketing professionals don't allocate huge budgets to a good product as it sells itself. Tinubu is a bad product, a failure and more."
Not all reactions were hostile. @RodemiF backed the president's approach: "It's like PBAT is not underrating his opponents. Unlike the Lilliput, who is threatening fire and brimstone and telling lies as usual. There is no structure, just like 2023, but he expected people to die in his battle. FOR NOW, ON TINUBU'S MANDATE WE STAND."
Supporters Predict Landslide Victory
@idaz2007 predicted a comfortable re-election: "I watched the program live as well. My conclusion is that for now this president will record an unprecedented victory since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999. A Serious presidential candidate will need extraordinary grassroots work (not podcast interviews) to stop this president."
@Vibesznnz took a lighter tone, commenting on the setting itself: "I don't understand why they're watching the news from such a very small TV? Like Shay, they don't have money to buy a bigger one for the presidential office?"
Background: PBAT Door-to-Door Movement
The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement is a grassroots mobilisation initiative linked to the APC, aiming to consolidate support for Tinubu's re-election ahead of the 2027 general elections. The movement's inauguration signals the ruling party's early strategy to engage voters at the community level.
In related news, Legit.ng earlier reported that former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai's wife, Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, called for leniency from President Tinubu in the handling of her husband's matter. The ex-Kaduna first lady, in an emotional appeal, maintained that the family had been traumatised by the legal dilemma of the former governor and argued that her husband did not deserve the maltreatment considering his contribution to Tinubu's victory in the 2023 general elections.
