President Bola Tinubu will officially launch his 2027 presidential re-election campaign in Kaduna State on October 24, according to Senator Abdulaziz Yari, the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council. Yari disclosed this on Friday evening, October 9, after briefing Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he outlined the council's preparations and the planned schedule of state visits.
Campaign Council Inaugural Meeting Set for October 14
Yari told State House correspondents that the campaign council's inaugural meeting will hold on October 14 at the State House banquet hall. He explained that the decision was reached after consultations with the President and his team.
"By God's grace, his team, I, and Mr President himself, we have agreed on how it's going to be done," Yari said. "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, inshallah."
Following the Kaduna flag-off, the campaign is scheduled to move to Port Harcourt in Rivers State, then to Maiduguri in Borno State. Yari said the full timetable of state visits would be released after the council's inauguration.
Yari Dismisses Obi and Atiku as Threats
When asked about competition from Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Peter Obi and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Yari was dismissive. He argued that neither man could mount a successful presidential run without controlling states in both the North and the South.
"Can the ADC candidate today in the southern part of the country beat his chest and say he has control of one state in the South? And I don't think Peter Obi, who used to be my colleague, can beat his chest. Can he say he has control of one state in northern Nigeria?" Yari asked.
He pointed to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari as a cautionary example, saying Buhari once held over 70 per cent of support across more than 11 northern states but had no foothold in the South and still fell short. By contrast, Yari claimed Tinubu controls more than 10 states in the South and more than 10 in the North.
Yari Cites Theological Argument and Economic Performance
Yari also invoked a theological argument, saying Tinubu had financially supported both Atiku and Obi at various points in the past and that God would not use either man to bring down someone who had helped them.
On the economy, Yari said the President had "turned around the situation that he met on ground" and insisted the campaign would run on performance rather than promises.
President Tinubu appointed Yari as campaign council Director-General on August 22, 2026, with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma serving as secretary. Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda serve as vice chairmen of the council, which Tinubu himself chairs.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, with campaigns permitted from August 19, 2026 through January 15, 2027. INEC has confirmed that 18 presidential candidates are in the race.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ChatGPT predicted that the APC would likely win Nigeria's 2027 presidential election, using the Four Horsemen framework. It cited the opposition coalition but said the APC had the edge due to possible low voter turnout and the Tinubu administration's efforts to stabilise the economy.
