Obafemi George, a member of the Media and Strategic Communications Committee of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, has said President Bola Tinubu has effectively been campaigning for the 2027 general elections through his policies and development projects over the past three years.
George argued that Tinubu does not need to visit every state in the country to campaign, insisting that the administration’s achievements should speak for themselves.
Speaking on Arise News, he described the intense campaign activities that typically take place shortly before elections as a jamboree.
“What we see three months before the election is a jamboree. He has been campaigning with his policies for the past three years. He has turned Nigeria into a construction site, with projects going on in every state,” George said.
He challenged Nigerians to reflect on the state of the country in 2023, arguing that the nation lacked the foundation required for meaningful development before Tinubu assumed office.
The APC chieftain further claimed that Tinubu was the first president to establish structures capable of supporting national development over several decades.
“This is the first time we have a president who has put in place structures that could last us 40 years and let us develop as a nation. Before President Tinubu came in, all investors were leaving Nigeria,” he said.
George also maintained that no electoral rule requires presidential candidates to visit all 36 states or participate in debates during their campaigns.
He said such decisions depend on each candidate’s strategy and assessment of the electoral landscape.
“All these are subject to the strategy of the candidates, and the president has looked at the electoral map and has decided that what is more important at this time is to sustain the gains Nigeria has seen from January until now,” he added.
The comments follow Tinubu’s reported announcement at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Thursday that he would skip some campaign visits to states.
The president is reportedly planning to visit only 12 states, leaving governors and campaign council members to coordinate activities in the remaining states.
The reported decision has drawn criticism from opposition figures, some of whom have questioned the president’s willingness to engage directly with voters.
Others have linked the decision to public dissatisfaction over economic challenges and their impact on Nigerians’ living standards.
George, however, defended the president’s approach, arguing that policy implementation and development projects formed the basis of Tinubu’s campaign efforts.
