- First Lady Says She Wants to Enjoy a Better Nigeria in Her 70s
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-chief)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday formally launched the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign for the 2027 general election in Kaduna, accusing opposition politicians of creating the hunger and poverty confronting Nigerians, while promising economic recovery and greater prosperity if re-elected.
Speaking before a crowd of party supporters at the campaign rally, Tinubu defended his administration’s economic reforms and urged Nigerians to give him another four-year mandate to consolidate his policies and development programmes.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did! They created hunger, they created poverty; we are trying to eradicate it,” the President declared.
He maintained that his administration was working towards economic recovery, growth, prosperity and expanded opportunities, insisting that Nigerians would benefit from continuity if the APC secured another term.
Tinubu also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy had brought an end to practices he associated with corruption, fuel smuggling and the falsification of invoices.
He urged voters to reject what he described as misleading claims by political opponents and called on Nigerians to participate actively in the January 2027 elections.
The Kaduna rally, held at the Kaduna Township Stadium, marked the formal launch of the APC's presidential campaign ahead of the 2027 general election. The event attracted Vice-President Kashim Shettima, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, party leaders and supporters from different parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has expressed the desire to leave the Presidential Villa in 2031 and enjoy a better Nigeria in her 70s, expressing confidence that the country is making progress under her husband's administration.
She made the remarks on Friday, October 23, at the inauguration of the Abuja headquarters of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, a grassroots organisation mobilising support for the President's re-election.
“I want to leave Aso Rock, in 2031, by the grace of God, and enter a Nigeria that me as a 70-something-year-old woman will enjoy,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu cited improvements at Nigerian airports as an indication of progress, expressing the hope that travelling would become more convenient.
She also suggested that Nigerians who failed to recognise the administration's achievements needed what she jokingly described as “Bola Tinubu eyeglasses”.
Her remarks have added to the political conversation surrounding the administration's record as the President begins his campaign for a second term.
At Saturday's rally, Vice-President Kashim Shettima urged Kaduna residents and other northern voters to support the APC's bid for another term, citing federal interventions in education and infrastructure.
He highlighted the establishment and upgrading of educational institutions, including the Federal University of Applied Sciences, as well as vocational training initiatives in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru.
Shettima also cited major infrastructure projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road, as evidence of the administration's development efforts.
The vice-president appealed to northern voters to consider Tinubu's past political relationships with prominent northern leaders when deciding whom to support in 2027.
Senator Abdul'aziz Yari, director-general of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, also pledged northern support for the President, claiming that millions of farmers were prepared to back his re-election bid.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani urged voters to support Tinubu, citing interventions in infrastructure, education, security and agriculture. APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and other party leaders also expressed confidence in the President's chances.
The rally came amid growing political competition and public debate over the impact of the administration's economic reforms, particularly the cost of living, food prices and household purchasing power.
For the APC, the Kaduna event represents the beginning of an intensified nationwide campaign to convince Nigerians that the administration's policies will deliver better economic conditions and improved living standards in a second term. NNL.
