President Bola Tinubu has defended his decision not to attend every campaign event ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that governance and Nigeria’s financial obligations require his attention, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has challenged him to step aside if he is too tired to campaign.
The exchange followed Tinubu’s inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday, where he directed party members to take the ruling party’s message to Nigerians across the states and local government areas.
The President said he would not accompany the campaign team to every event, arguing that the demands of governance must take priority over political mobilisation.
“You’ve warned me not to allow the rigour of the campaign to distract me from governance, I hear you. I am in full agreement with your decision. Nigeria needs more attention now,” Tinubu said.
Explaining his decision to limit his physical participation in campaign activities, the President added that his administration had financial obligations to meet, including international debt commitments.
“So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you, we have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait,” he said.
Tinubu also stressed the need to attract investors willing to make long-term commitments to Nigeria, saying such investments were essential to securing the future of the country’s children.
“We want those investors to come in, be here to stay, to invest for the future of our children,” he added.
The President, however, assured Nigerians that he would continue to engage them directly while the campaign council handled mobilisation across the country.
Describing the council’s inauguration as more than a political exercise, Tinubu said it represented a renewed commitment to Nigerians and the responsibilities entrusted to the APC as the governing party.
He also commended party members for successfully completing the APC congresses, dismissing predictions that the process would trigger an internal crisis.
“They said there will be implosion. We passed through it. We did not fail. You didn’t let us down. We got here together,” the President said.
Adebayo Fires Back
Reacting to Tinubu’s remarks, Adebayo urged the President to leave office if he was no longer physically capable of confronting the demands of political campaigning, describing his decision to limit his campaign appearances as evidence of what he called a broader leadership problem.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday and signed by his campaign’s Chief Communications Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, the SDP candidate described Tinubu as a “president in absentia” at a time he said Nigeria required direct and visible leadership.
“If you are too tired to campaign, you are too weak to govern,” Adebayo declared.
He argued that Nigeria’s political and economic challenges required a president who could engage directly with citizens rather than rely on intermediaries.
“Nigeria is too complex, too dynamic, and currently too distressed to be governed by remote control,” he said.
The SDP candidate accused Tinubu of repeatedly being absent during critical national moments, citing what he described as prolonged medical vacations presented as working visits, foreign trips during important economic decisions and an alleged failure to provide adequate reassurance during national emergencies and regional protests.
Adebayo maintained that the President’s decision to avoid some campaign appearances was not merely a strategic choice but, in his view, an attempt to escape public anger over the administration’s policies.
He attributed the alleged unpopularity to the consequences of fuel subsidy removal, rising inflation and currency instability, which he said had placed considerable pressure on Nigerian households.
According to him, Tinubu was unwilling to confront voters over the economic hardship they had experienced under his administration.
“The excuse of bowing out of the 2027 campaign is a cowardly smokescreen. The truth is that the President is terrified of the Nigerian people,” he alleged.
He added that the President should prioritise the national interest over political survival and be transparent about his capacity to lead the country for the remainder of his tenure.
“It is time to face reality: step aside, go home, and let this country breathe,” Adebayo said.
The exchange adds to the emerging political confrontation ahead of the 2027 general election, with Tinubu insisting that governance must not be sacrificed for campaign activities, while the SDP candidate has turned the President’s remarks into a challenge to his fitness for the demands of leadership.
