Opposition Leaders Slam Tinubu Over Early 2027 Campaign “Mobilisation”

By John Paul

Leading opposition voices yesterday intensified criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the administration of insensitivity and misplaced priorities amid worsening economic hardship and security crises across the country. The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, condemned the distribution of branded vehicles allegedly intended for 2027 campaign mobilisation, describing the move as an abuse of public trust at a time millions of Nigerians are struggling to survive.
In a post on his verified X handle, Obi said the decision to allocate scarce public resources to luxury Hilux trucks and Hummer buses while citizens grapple with hunger, unemployment, and insecurity reflects “a serious moral failure.” He said leadership should focus on feeding the hungry, providing healthcare, restoring hope to unemployed youth, and securing vulnerable communities—not parading expensive vehicles or prematurely campaigning for votes. Obi lamented that children are dropping out of school due to poverty, maternal deaths persist due to lack of basic medical supplies, and families face devastating insecurity, yet the government appears more concerned with political theatrics. He said such acts betray the essence of public service and reinforce a pattern of wastefulness, insensitivity, and misplaced priorities that Nigeria can no longer afford.
Similarly, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticised President Tinubu for what it described as launching his 2027 re-election bid while Nigeria remains under a declared state of emergency. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described Tinubu’s distribution of Hilux trucks, Land Cruisers, and Hummer buses to political agents as cynical and insensitive. It argued that such actions undermine the purpose of the emergency declaration and violate the Electoral Act and INEC timetable. According to the ADC, ordinary Nigerians are being kidnapped, displaced, and killed daily, yet the ruling party is distributing branded vehicles and building a partisan mobilisation structure. The party demanded that the President either return to governance or admit that his political ambition is obstructing the nation’s recovery.