President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his administration will continue to focus on governance and national development despite preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
Tinubu spoke on Wednesday at the State House in Abuja while inaugurating the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), charging party leaders to balance their electoral responsibilities with the demands of national governance.
The president said the responsibilities attached to his office would remain uninterrupted, stressing that Nigeria could not afford to lose focus on critical national priorities because of electioneering.
“The responsibility of this office does not pause,” Tinubu declared.
While the APC Presidential Campaign Council will coordinate campaign activities across the states and local government areas, Tinubu said he would continue to engage directly with Nigerians on his administration’s achievements and development agenda.
“I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians, even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas,” he said.
“So you will excuse me from going everywhere with you. We have bills to pay.”
Tinubu stressed the need for government to continue meeting its financial obligations while creating an environment capable of attracting investors to Nigeria.
“The job must go on. We have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait. We want those investors to come in, be here to stay, to invest for the future of our children,” he said.
The president described the inauguration of the campaign council as more than the commencement of preparations for the 2027 election, saying it represented a renewed commitment to the Nigerian people.
According to him, the APC, as the governing party, had a historic responsibility to deliver on the trust placed in it by Nigerians.
“The APC is ready. We have not gathered merely to inaugurate a council.
“We have gathered to renew a covenant, a covenant with the Nigerian people and the historic responsibility they have entrusted to us as Nigeria’s governing party.
“We promise we will not let them down,” Tinubu said.
He charged members of the council to take the APC’s vision, record of achievements and development agenda to Nigerians across the country, down to communities and wards.
“Let the word go out from this hall to every corner of our nation. The APC is ready,” he said.
Tinubu also urged party members to remain determined in their efforts to build the country, drawing from his experience as governor of Lagos State.
He recalled his administration’s efforts to address the threat posed by Atlantic Ocean flooding, using the experience to encourage APC members to approach national challenges with courage and determination.
“There is no limit to daring. You must dare, you must be determined,” the president said.
He also cautioned APC governors, lawmakers and other party leaders against becoming complacent based on previous electoral successes, urging them to demonstrate greater commitment as the party prepares for the 2027 contest.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, governors, senior APC politicians and representatives of the party’s youth and women groups attended the inauguration.
The Presidential Campaign Council is headed by former Zamfara State governor Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General.
The council is expected to commence its presidential campaign in Kaduna on October 24 as the APC begins its mobilisation ahead of the 2027 election.
