Tinubu launches re-election campaign in Kaduna as economic hardship tests support
Nigeria’s president opened his bid for another term at an APC rally on 24 October, with household costs and security set to shape the contest before the 16 January election.
President Bola Tinubu launched his campaign for a second term at an All Progressives Congress rally in Kaduna, Nigeria, on 24 October 2026, asking voters to back him in a January election likely to test support for his economic reforms amid a cost-of-living crisis.
Thousands of APC supporters filled much of the 10,000-capacity Ranchers Bees Stadium by midday, with more arriving as the rally began, Reuters reported. Tinubu told the crowd: ‘Come 2027, January 16, you must go out massively and elect me again.’
Economic hardship shapes Tinubu’s campaign
Since taking office in 2023, Tinubu has removed fuel subsidies and devalued the naira. Reuters reported that the changes have helped public finances, foreign reserves and investor sentiment, while adding to pressure on households. Petrol cost about 1,400 naira a litre in Lagos and Abuja in September and as much as 1,500 naira in parts of northern Nigeria, according to Reuters.
At the rally, Tinubu blamed his opponents for hunger and poverty, saying: ‘They created the hunger. They created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it.’ Phrank Shaibu, a spokesperson for rival Atiku Abubakar’s campaign, rejected that argument. ‘Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia,’ he told Reuters.
Security is another issue in the contest. Nigeria continues to face armed banditry and kidnappings in the northwest, while militants in the northeast have stepped up attacks on military positions during a 17-year Islamist insurgency, Reuters reported. Former Vice President Atiku and Peter Obi, who placed second and third in the 2023 presidential election, are among Tinubu’s main challengers.
Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election timetable
Voice of Nigeria reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable set 19 August 2026 as the start of campaigning for the presidential and National Assembly elections and 15 January 2027 as its end. The election is scheduled for 16 January. The outlet said the timetable was published on the commission’s portal and signed by its chairman, Joash Ojo Amupitan.
Tinubu has said he will skip rallies in some of Nigeria’s 36 states to focus on governing. Under the party’s proposed schedule, he would attend rallies in 12 states, ending with a Lagos rally on 9 January, Reuters reported. His camp says 32 state governors back him, although Reuters noted that governors have not always been able to deliver their states to presidential candidates.
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Sources and context
- Nigeria's Tinubu launches re-election campaign as economic pain tests supportReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- 2027 Elections: INEC Releases Official Campaign TimetableVoice of Nigeria
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.