President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has again criticised opposition presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, saying the duo have nothing new to offer Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general election. NigerianNewspaper Access
Tinubu also urged Nigerians to reject the two main opposition leaders and renew their confidence in his administration, insisting that his government was laying a solid foundation for economic recovery, growth and national development.
The President made the remarks on Wednesday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally held at the Akure Township Stadium, in Ondo State, where he called on party supporters to mobilise massively for his re-election.
The Nation reports that the stadium was filled to capacity, with different political groups chanting solidarity songs for their leaders and rallying support for Tinubu.
Among the dignitaries at the campaign rally were: Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Hope Uzodimma, former Ekiti Governor Adeniyi Adebayo, former Ondo Governor Olusegun Mimiko, among others.
Speaking, the President specifically challenged the people of Ondo State to deliver more than “one million votes” for the APC in the January 16 presidential election, describing the state as a critical stronghold in the party’s efforts to secure another mandate.
Tinubu, who was represented at the rally by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the APC administration deserved another opportunity to consolidate its reforms and deliver more dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
He asked party members, political leaders, and supporters across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State to take the campaign to their communities, markets, streets, and polling units.
The President said the opposition had failed to present a convincing alternative to his administration’s policies and programmes, urging voters not to be distracted by political rhetoric.
“All opposition have been conducting their campaigns on Facebook. Atiku Abubakar has not been able to put his state in other words, to the extent that all Former governors of the state are not in alignment with him. This clearly indicates that he can’t offer anything.
“Just like Peter Obi, who has no tangible achievements in his record other than obnoxious data, how can he offer anything? With what I have seen here, it is clear that all other leaders have put all differences behind them in the interest of the state. With 2.1m registered voters, the least we expect from Ondo is 1.2m votes,” Tinubu said.
He also commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other APC leaders in the state for their mobilisation efforts, expressing confidence that Ondo would deliver a significant victory for the party.
Tinubu highlighted his administration’s achievements over the last three and a half years, citing economic reforms, infrastructure development, student loans, agricultural interventions, and investments in human capital as evidence of his APC-led government’s commitment to rebuilding Nigeria.
He added that major achievements also included removing the petrol subsidy, foreign exchange reforms, improved revenue generation, and efforts to stabilise the country’s macroeconomic environment.
He maintained that his administration had taken difficult but necessary decisions to reposition the economy, improve public revenue, attract investments and create opportunities for Nigerians, despite the challenges associated with the reforms.
The President said the growing support from different parts of the country reflected confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and the direction of his administration.
On infrastructure, the President pointed to the administration’s massive investments in road construction and rehabilitation across the country, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway and other major federal road projects.
He also highlighted interventions in the energy sector, particularly the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, designed to provide alternative, more affordable transportation options while reducing dependence on petrol.
In education, He identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of the administration’s landmark social investment programmes, providing financial assistance to students in tertiary institutions and ensuring that financial difficulties do not prevent young Nigerians from accessing higher education.
Tinubu referenced the administration’s interventions in agriculture, housing, healthcare and youth development, stressing that the Renewed Hope Agenda was designed to address different aspects of Nigerians’ socioeconomic needs.
He said the government was equally committed to strengthening national security, expanding employment opportunities, supporting small businesses and improving the country’s investment climate.
Tinubu further noted that the administration’s achievements were not limited to national economic policies but were also reflected in federal projects and interventions across the states.
He cited support from Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Jigawa as examples of growing political cooperation between the federal government and state administrations.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele urged leaders of the APC in the state to ‘close ranks’ and work together for the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027.
Bamidele, who also delivered Tinubu’s message at the campaign rally, said the forthcoming election was a presidential and National Assembly election, not an internal party membership exercise.
He said the President was particularly concerned about ensuring unity among party leaders and stakeholders across the state’s three senatorial districts ahead of the January 16 election.
According to him, the President directed all party leaders to recognise Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the sole state coordinator of the presidential campaign and give him the support needed to mobilise voters.
According to him, the President had directed all party leaders to recognise Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the sole state coordinator of the presidential campaign and give him the necessary support to mobilise voters.
He said the governor had also been instructed to open his doors to all party leaders and stakeholders, regardless of their political affiliations or previous disagreements.
“This time around, all our leaders are on the same page. The appeal of Mr President is that all our leaders should recognise that there is only one state coordinator for this campaign: the governor of the state.
“Everybody must work with him. The President also asked me to emphasise to the state coordinator, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, that he must open his doors to all the leaders of the party to work with him,” he said.
Bamidele expressed satisfaction that the party’s leaders had come together for the campaign, urging them to translate the show of unity into active participation and massive electoral support for Tinubu.
He specifically called on prominent political leaders from the southern senatorial district, including Chief Olusola Oke and Chief Mrs Oladunni Odu, to play active roles in the campaign.
He also urged leaders from the central district, including Wale Akinterinwa, to take central positions in the mobilisation efforts, while calling for the inclusion of political stakeholders from the northern district.
The Senate Leader said no party leader should be sidelined, stressing that the campaign’s success would depend on the collective commitment of all stakeholders.
He further disclosed that former Governor Olusegun Mimiko had been brought back into the progressive political fold and would be expected to play a significant role in the campaign.
“Dr Olusegun Mimiko will be seen playing a central role in this campaign. All our leaders will be given a chance to play a role,” he added.
Bamidele said Governor Aiyedatiwa had assured President Tinubu and other party leaders that Ondo State would deliver at least one million votes for the President.
He said the target is achievable if party leaders set aside their differences and work toward a common goal.
“One million votes is not a joke, but one million votes is possible if all our leaders work together,” he said.
The Senate Leader also urged Ondo voters to appreciate the Tinubu administration’s contributions to the state through their votes, citing the appointment of three ministers and two ambassadors from Ondo State.
According to him, the appointments demonstrated the President’s recognition of Ondo State and should encourage residents to support his re-election bid.
Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma in his message, said Ondo people must prove through their votes that they love President Tinubu.
He noted that out of the over two million registered voters in the state, the one million-vote target is achievable in Ondo.
In his words, National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, said Ondo has three cabinet ministers, Taiwo Oyedele, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, and Ayodele Olawande, so the state must reciprocate the good gesture of the president.
“Ondos must contribute significantly to the victory of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 2027,” he said.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign and former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulazeez Yari, said Tinubu had demonstrated exceptional commitment to Ondo through political appointments and other benefits.
“These five positions are equivalent to about 10 ministers in Ondo,” Yari said.
He said the President had extended such consideration to the state despite it not being an oil-producing state, citing infrastructure provisions, the nine per cent allocation and cash transfer arrangements arising from the review of the relevant programme.
Yari urged Aiyedatiwa and other APC leaders to intensify mobilisation, stressing that the party was seeking millions of votes from Ondo to widen Tinubu’s national electoral margin.
“We are not looking for Asiwaju to win in Ondo State. We are looking for Asiwaju to get millions of votes that will give the margin for the presidency,” he said.
He called on youths, women and elderly residents to turn out en masse on election day.
Earlier, Governor Aiyedatiwa assured President Tinubu of the state’s commitment to his re-election in 2027, promising that the APC would secure at least one million votes for the president in the state.
Aiyedatiwa said Ondo State remained firmly behind the President because of his administration’s reforms and what he described as their positive impact on the country and the state.
The governor recalled that the state gave Mr Tinubu massive support during the 2023 presidential election, noting that the state recorded the highest percentage of votes for the president nationally.
He said the support stemmed from the president’s political antecedents, particularly his record as governor of Lagos State, and the confidence people had in his leadership.
“Mr President (Tinubu), Ondo State voted massively for you in 2023. We recorded the highest percentage of votes in Nigeria. We believed in you because we knew your track record as former governor of Lagos State.
“You have not disappointed us for the votes we cast for you and your vice president in 2023,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa said the economic and other reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration since assuming office in 2023 had begun to yield benefits across the country, including at the grassroots.
According to him, the reforms would have had little meaning if their benefits had not reached ordinary Nigerians and translated into development at the state and community levels.
He listed the recruitment of more than 6,000 workers across various sectors, infrastructure development, rehabilitation of health institutions, and support for young entrepreneurs as achievements of his administration, facilitated by the federal government’s reform policies.
The governor also commended Tinubu for appointing three ministers from Ondo State, describing the appointments as evidence of the president’s recognition of the state’s contribution to the country’s development.
The ministers are the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ife Oyedele and Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande.
He said the appointments, alongside the federal government’s interventions, had further strengthened the state’s confidence in the Tinubu administration.
“Mr President, we want to let you know that Ondo State stands by you. You have given us more than enough reason to re-elect you by giving you a minimum of one million votes in January 2027,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa urged APC leaders, members and supporters to return to their respective local government areas, wards and polling units to intensify grassroots mobilisation and educate residents on the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
He said the party would take its campaign to communities, villages, hills and other parts of the state to secure widespread support for the president.
“With this rally today, we are saying to the whole world that Ondo State is for Tinubu in 2027. We will return with a minimum of one million votes,” Aiyedatiwa added.
Also, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, while addressing the crowd of party supporters at the rally, affirmed that President Tinubu has worked well for Nigerians and the best way to reciprocate his good deeds is to return him as president.
Oshiomhole gave examples of NELFUND, interventions that led to the stability of the economy, the coastal road, infrastructural development, and his youth development programmes.
Former Ondo Governor Olusegun Mimiko told APC supporters not to relent in their efforts to win big for the president.
He assured the President that all leaders in the state will work together as a team to deliver the state for him, and also ensure that all candidates in the state win their elections.
On his part, a renowned stalwart of the APC in the state, Chief Olusola Oke said Tinubu has done well for the state, and we as a people are indebted to him.
He assured that all party leaders in the state have unanimously agreed to work for the party’s success in the general elections.
The major highlight of the rally was the presentation of APC flags to the party’s National Assembly candidates in the state.
