ADC, Obi flay Tinubu over early campaign

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for engaging in early campaign through the distribution of vehicles to the state coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) across the country.

They argued that the development signalled that the president was more focused on his 2027 re-election bid than on governance.

According to them, although the presidency was careful with the language used to describe the mandate of the RHA, the project was simply a smokescreen for an early campaign structure. The vehicles, they claimed, were essentially campaign assets being deployed at a time the Tinubu administration should be concentrating on governance.

They said the move showed a lack of concern for citizens and amounted to “a flagrant disregard of the Electoral Act”, which forbids campaign activities ahead of the official timetable to be announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This is not the first time the president and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been accused of engaging in early campaigns. Earlier in the year, several organs of the party endorsed President Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a development analysts described as insensitive and inappropriate.

Tinubu’s 2027 campaign posters also flooded several parts of Abuja for much of the year. Although the presidency issued a disclaimer at the time and urged sponsors to pull down the posters and billboards, many remained in place for weeks and months until only recently.

Even as most of them have now been removed, the appointment of RHA coordinators and the distribution of branded vehicles have again revived the issue of premature campaigning.

On November 25, President Tinubu appointed the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, as Renewed Hope Ambassador and tasked him with “evangelising the Tinubu administration’s programmes.”

“In his role as ambassador, he will double as the Director-General for Party Outreach, Engagement and Mobilisation,” a statement signed by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga said.

According to the statement, the president also directed Governor Uzodimma to ensure Nigerians are aware of, and understand, the administration’s achievements.

Uzodimma, who also chairs the APC Governors’ Forum, subsequently appointed zonal coordinators to support his mandate. For the South-South, former Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa was named; for the North-East, former Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda; and for the North-West, former Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari.

In the South-East, former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, was appointed; in the South-West, Oladipupo Oyinbande; while the North-Central got former Nasarawa State governor, Umar Tanko Al-Makura.

The appointments were announced during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Initiative committees for the six geopolitical zones. According to the organisers, the move marked a major step in expanding the president’s political and socioeconomic agenda nationwide.

The Renewed Hope Initiative is expected to drive strategic engagements, mobilisation efforts and developmental interventions across the regions in line with the president’s vision for national renewal.

As part of efforts to begin their work, brand-new Hummer Buses (Toyota Hiace) branded in the colours and images of the president were reportedly distributed to the coordinators, with photos and videos circulating online.

Aside from the buses, Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs and Toyota Hilux vehicles were also said to have been shared. Following the uproar that trailed the appointments and vehicle distribution, Daily Trust reached out to Governor Uzodimma through his Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Declan Emelumba. Asked to respond to concerns that the RHA activities amounted to early campaigns masked by careful wording, he referred our correspondent to the presidency.

Several efforts to obtain comments from Bayo Onanuga, the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy and Daniel Bwala, the president’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, including calls and messages, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

However, the APC denied that the vehicles had anything to do with the 2027 election, insisting the RHA mandate was clear and unrelated to campaign activities.

Despite the party’s clarification, the opposition maintained that the presidency was deploying the Ambassadors as campaign agents for 2027 even though INEC had yet to declare campaigns open. They also argued that distributing vehicles at a time Nigerians were grappling with insecurity was insensitive, with the PDP warning that “Nigerians are watching what is happening.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, told Daily Trust that the appointments and controversies surrounding the RHA reflected the priorities of the administration.

“This is another milestone in the politicisation of governance at the cost of existential challenges across the country. It is unfortunate and very painful, unmistakably showing where the priorities of the president and the presidency lie. Nigerians are watching,” he said.

Tinubu behaves more like a candidate than a president – ADC

In a statement issued Thursday in Abuja, the ADC criticised the president for allegedly kick-starting his 2027 campaign despite the country being under a state of emergency. The party described the move as “a cynically insensitive action that makes nonsense of the emergency declaration itself.”

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, condemned the distribution of “vehicles to campaign agents across the country even as kidnapped citizens languish in captivity and security forces struggle to contain escalating violence and banditry.”

The ADC said that by “launching his re-election campaign under the guise of Renewed Hope Ambassadors,” the president was operating more like a candidate than the leader of a nation besieged by insecurity.

The party also alleged that the action violated the Electoral Act and INEC’s timetable.

The statement continued: “Coming at a time when Nigeria remains under a declared state of emergency due to worsening insecurity, this action confirms that the president’s declaration of security emergency was a mere gimmick to grab headlines. It means nothing to a president whose priority remains his re-election.

“While ordinary citizens are being kidnapped, displaced and killed, the president is handing out branded vehicles and building a partisan mobilisation structure. Entire communities are under siege, our armed forces are stretched thin, yet the ruling party is preparing for rallies. At a time when children are being abducted and communities attacked, the president is focused on re-election, presiding over a nation more diminished, more fractured and more dangerous than he met it.”

Abdullahi added that in times of emergency, national leaders are expected to adopt extraordinary conduct reflective of the country’s dire circumstances.

“What we have seen under President Tinubu is that, aside from the declaration and a few symbolic gestures, nothing substantial has changed. No new safety measures, no heightened alertness, nothing. Instead, it has been business as usual. But nothing confirms this more than the Renewed Hope Ambassadors project and the obscene distribution of campaign vehicles at a time when an unknown number of children remain in captivity and the nation cowers in fear.

“President Tinubu is the first elected Nigerian president to declare a nationwide emergency on security. It should now be on record that he is also the first to launch a re-election campaign while the country is under emergency rule. This is not just misplaced priority; it signals that the only thing that matters to this government is politics.”

The ADC said the president must choose between governance and campaigning. “He cannot govern under emergency powers while acting like a candidate on the trail. One path leads to public service, the other to political opportunism.

“Leadership in times of crisis requires focus, sacrifice and moral clarity. Lavish convoys and early campaigns are not answers to national trauma. The president must return to governance or admit that his political ambition now stands in the way of Nigeria’s recovery.”

Vehicles sign of insensitivity, abuse of trust – Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the last election, said that at a time when Nigerians are struggling with hunger, unemployment and insecurity, the decision of any government to allocate scarce resources to purchase and distribute luxury vehicles such as Hilux trucks and Hummer buses, especially in the context of 2027 political mobilisation, is not only insensitive but represents a serious moral failure.

He said it was troubling that while ordinary Nigerians are battling poverty and hopelessness, many in leadership positions continue to move around in brand-new Land Cruisers, Hilux and Hummers, treating the suffering of the people as a mere backdrop for political theatrics. He described the situation as “a tragic misplacement of priorities that is completely unacceptable.”

Obi said it was disheartening that, at a time when children are dropping out of school because their families cannot afford basic tuition, when mothers are dying during childbirth due to a lack of essential medical supplies, and when insecurity is tearing families apart across various regions, the response of those in authority is to channel funds into luxury vehicles instead of urgent interventions that affect people’s lives.

“This is not governance,” he said. “It reflects a profound insensitivity and a clear abuse of public trust disguised as political strategy. It betrays the essence of public service, which should always be about serving the people rather than staging political publicity.”

According to him, Nigeria cannot continue on a path of wastefulness, insensitivity and misplaced priorities, adding that what citizens need at this time is leadership built on empathy, prudence and accountability.

Vehicles not linked to 2027 – APC

But the APC dismissed claims linking the distribution of vehicles to early campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections. Speaking to Daily Trust, the APC National Director of Publicity, Alhaji Bala Ibrahim, insisted that the ruling party had not violated any provision of the Electoral Act.

He said the vehicles and the activities of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors fall within normal political engagement, adding that a party in power has the right to organise, mobilise and stabilise its base.

According to him, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors were established to rebuild public confidence at a time when many Nigerians are expressing doubts about government performance, Ibrahim said those interpreting the gesture as election-related were merely speculating, insisting that nothing about the vehicles indicates a 2027 agenda.

He added that political parties routinely distribute materials and equipment and that such gestures should not automatically be interpreted as electioneering.

“It’s not a violation of the electoral act. You see, a government in power, or a party in power, has the right to politick, has the right to ginger the system in preparation for the coming election. That is not to say it is going to do something at variance with the provision of the electoral act.

“It has a duty to continue telling the people, or doing that which will keep the party relevant in the minds of the people. And by extension, that is what the Renewed Hope Ambassadors are doing.

“They are people who are supposed to reach out to the grassroots, especially at this time, when there is a lot of anger and doubt in the minds of the people which regards the performance indices of the government.

“So, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors are there to renew the confidence of the people with regards to the performance of the government, not campaigning for 2027. No, it’s too early,” he said.

The APC Publicity Director insisted that new vehicles do not mean 2027 campaign, stressing that parties routinely distribute materials and equipment, and such gestures should not automatically be interpreted as electioneering.

“Every day new things are coming out from the party. Now, the vehicles you see do not carry any banner that is indicative of 2027. But people have the right to speculate.

“People have the right to think. That’s politics. But nothing is done to bring out anything that is in conflict with the timetable of the coming election for 2027,” he added.

What the presidency said about Renewed Hope Ambassadors

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, had earlier announced that Governor Hope Uzodimma would serve as Renewed Hope Ambassador and Director-General for Party Outreach, Engagement and Mobilisation.

He said Uzodimma would work with the APC leadership and governors to promote and explain the Tinubu administration’s programmes to Nigerians.

According to him, Uzodimma’s role is to ensure harmony, inclusiveness and strategic coordination across party structures, while also helping to disseminate the administration’s achievements and milestones since 2023.

He explained that Uzodimma will work with the APC governors, who will also be Ambassadors of Hope, adding that the president expects him and his colleagues “to promote and disseminate the party’s achievements and milestones since 2023, thereby reinforcing the message of Renewed Hope nationwide.”

Social media users criticise move

On X, where Sahara Reporters first posted the video of the vehicles, the criticisms were swift, loud and widespread, with many Nigerians accusing the government of prioritising politics at a time when people are struggling with insecurity and economic hardship.

Popular social media critic Daniel Regha said the move reflected “a government that values re-election over protecting the lives of the masses,” adding that nothing about it was surprising. Another user, @CHUKWUJEKW43853, said that despite the many challenges Nigerians face daily, the APC government seemed focused solely on retaining power in 2027, asking whether the country must wait “until we are consumed.”

@lagosconvo wondered when Nigerians would finally acknowledge that politicians are “toying with their lives and destinies”.

@TempleOfFortune wrote that when insecurity is rising while campaign buses are being unveiled, it shows how political power often prioritises its own survival over the survival of the people.

He argued that true leadership would secure lives first before seeking votes. @callme_Riken questioned whether the government “ever stops to think,” describing the move as further proof that national priorities remain misplaced.

Another user, @PRINCIPAL_XYX, said politicians show little concern about the insecurity ravaging the country, adding that many leaders enter office only for themselves and their families.

@JanetNkeiru wrote: “Amid everything happening in Nigeria today, this is what matters most to them,” while @MezieAbia said the country was “bleeding” and yet the government was busy branding 2027 campaign buses.

@CeeChidi described the development as “incompetence dressed in impunity,” arguing that the government should be focused on protecting citizens instead of distributing new buses. He added that Nigerians deserve accountability, not more political convoys.

The comments reflect a broader sentiment among many online users who believe the vehicle distribution highlights a widening disconnect between government priorities and the daily realities facing Nigerians.

INEC’s position on early campaign

Fresh attempts to get INEC to comment on the latest development were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. However, the commission had, on several occasions this year, criticised early campaigning as one of the major threats to Nigeria’s democracy, while repeatedly stressing its limited capacity to rein in violators.

In September, the immediate past INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, raised concerns about the growing trend of premature political campaigns, warning that the practice undermines governance and erodes the integrity of the electoral process.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ roundtable, Yakubu said political parties, aspirants and their supporters consistently flout the law by openly campaigning long before the Commission issues its official timetable.

He explained that Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 prohibits campaigns from commencing earlier than 150 days before polling day and requires that they end 24 hours before the election. “The idea is to prioritise governance over electioneering from one electoral cycle to another,” he said.

Yakubu lamented that despite clear provisions in the law, parties appear to operate in perpetual campaign mode. He cited examples of outdoor advertising, media campaigns and rallies promoting various political parties and aspirants even before INEC releases the Timetable and Schedule of Activities.

He warned that these actions not only breach the law but also make campaign finance monitoring difficult. “These activities undermine the Commission’s ability to track campaign finance limits, as politicians, prospective candidates and third-party agents expend large sums that cannot be effectively monitored before the official commencement of campaigns,” he said.

Yakubu further admitted that INEC is constrained by the existing legal framework. He said Nigerians expect the Commission to act, but the law gives INEC little power to impose meaningful sanctions.

According to him, Section 94(2) prescribes only a “mild sanction” of N500,000 for campaigns conducted within 24 hours to polling day and does not provide any punishment for campaigns launched earlier than 150 days before the election.

Prof Kari: It’s final confirmation of commencement of campaign

Political analyst Abubakar Kari, a professor of political sociology at the University of Abuja, said the current developments serve as “final confirmation” that the 2027 campaign has already begun.

“If anyone has been looking for proof, they have it now,” he said, noting that previous activities were subtle, deniable and conducted informally. “But the so-called ambassadors have a clear responsibility: to mobilise and galvanise support for Tinubu and the APC.”

According to him, this is both premature and misplaced. He said the president and the party should be more concerned with governance than political mobilisation. Prioritising the next election, he argued, sends the wrong message to citizens.

“It suggests misplaced priorities. From all indications, the major imperative now, as far as they are concerned, is consolidation of power — to get re-elected. And it appears more important to them than everything else, which is unfortunate,” he said.

He added that insecurity and economic hardship are “literally begging for attention,” yet politics appears to be taking precedence. “So it is almost impossible for Tinubu and the APC to justify placing premium on politics rather than making genuine efforts to address insecurity.”

Kari said that if the opposition accuses the ruling party of misplaced priorities and insensitivity, “they are right,” adding that this sentiment is now shared by most Nigerians.

He also expressed concern that INEC may be handicapped. According to him, one of the first steps toward a general election is the release of the timetable, which he said INEC has not yet done. Without that timetable, he argued, it is inappropriate for the ruling party — including the president — to begin serious campaign-style mobilisation.

He described the situation as “a clear disrespect and violation of the Electoral Act,” adding that INEC lacks both the capacity and the legal tools to sanction offenders. “INEC has limitations. I don’t think it is equipped enough, or even empowered, to apply sanctions for those who violate the Electoral Act,” he said.

Iliyasu Gadu: INEC needs to come down hard on APC

Another political analyst, Iliyasu Gadu, said the presidency and the APC are engaging in activities that amount to a campaign gimmick that is “illegal because the political campaign environment has not been declared open by INEC.”

He recalled that former INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu had issued warnings before leaving office, urging political parties and individuals not to commence campaigns prematurely.

Gadu said the government is breaking that rule. “This issue of Renewed Hope Ambassadors is an example of campaign activity even though the season has not been declared open.”

He argued that the actions are condemnable, especially coming from the ruling party. He said INEC must demonstrate its independence by acting firmly. “INEC really needs to show it is independent by coming out hard on the ruling party and making it clear that this is unacceptable. There should be strong action against them.”

According to him, the inability of INEC and other regulatory agencies to tackle the issue within the current legal framework calls for “deep reflection.”

Gadu said this reflects a larger structural weakness: “Here lies the challenge for the commission in dealing with early campaigns. The problem is not new, but the failure to address it continues to undermine the electoral process.”

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