ABUJA, Oct 14 – President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated his Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and assured its members he would not betray the trust they have placed in him, as his party begins its push for a second term about three months before Nigeria’s general elections.
The ceremony was held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu told the council he might not be able to join it at every campaign rally, but said he was confident its members would be able to persuade Nigerians of the impact of the policies his government has introduced, and of the need to sustain them if he is re-elected.
Policy record at the centre of the campaign
The president’s remarks suggest the campaign will lean heavily on the record of his administration’s economic programme. The presidency has previously pointed to a World Bank report as further evidence that its reforms are working, and has said it remains committed to improving living conditions for Nigerians.
How voters judge that record is likely to be a deciding factor in the contest. Opposition parties have also made the economy a central theme of their own campaigns.
Main challengers
Tinubu is expected to face two prominent opponents in the presidential race.
One is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who is from Adamawa State in the North-East.
The other is Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State from the South-East, who is running on the platform of the NDC.
Separately, the NDC has been in a dispute with the electoral commission, and has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 72 hours to publish five governorship candidates it says were omitted from the list. The commission, which organises elections in the country, publishes information on candidates and timetables on its official website.
Background
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, took office as president in May 2023. Inaugurating a campaign council is a standard step for a candidate in Nigerian elections, bringing together party leaders, strategists and supporters who coordinate rallies, messaging and mobilisation across the country.
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