President Bola Tinubu has blamed opposition parties for Nigeria’s hunger and poverty, urging Nigerians to re-elect him in the January 16, 2027 election and promising a second term focused on prosperity, continuity and national development.
Tinubu made the remarks on Saturday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna, where he defended his administration’s policies and challenged opponents who have criticised the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did! They created the hunger, and they created the poverty. We are the ones working to eradicate it,” the president said.
He maintained that his administration was working to improve living conditions, pointing to regular salary payments and what he described as development achievements by APC governors across the country.
Tinubu said he had returned to Kaduna to thank supporters for helping secure his election victory and to seek their mandate for a second term.
“I am here to seek your mandate for a second term, to keep our promise of prosperity, continuity, progress, and national development,” he told the gathering.
The president urged supporters to mobilise voters ahead of the January 16, 2027 poll, calling on them to obtain and use their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
“It is a promise: come January 16, 2027, you must go out massively to re-elect me. APC all the way!” he declared.
Tinubu also dismissed his opponents’ criticism, accusing them of having little to offer Nigerians beyond reversing the direction of his administration.
“Our opponents are angry because of their failures. They have nothing to offer you except backpedaling, whereas we bring prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery, and opportunity,” he said.
On economic reforms, the president insisted that the era of fuel subsidy payments was over, presenting the policy change as part of his administration’s effort to tackle corruption and other alleged abuses in the petroleum sector.
“The fuel subsidy is firmly behind us. No more corruption! No more falsification of invoices! No more lies! No more fuel smuggling!” Tinubu said.
He urged voters to scrutinise political promises and make their decisions at the ballot box, stressing that the country’s future rested in their hands.
The president also praised APC governors, saying he was encouraged by development projects across the 36 states and their efforts to ensure regular payment of salaries.
Tinubu’s campaign message centred on defending his administration’s economic decisions, promising future prosperity and presenting continuity as the preferred path for national development.
While Tinubu attributed the hardship to opposition parties and said his government was working to address it, he did not provide specific economic indicators during the address to substantiate the claims.
