By Julius Peter
The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar, has said the party’s campaign for the 2027 presidential election will be anchored on the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration rather than fresh promises or attacks on opposition parties.
Yari made the declaration in Gusau, Zamfara State, after a closed-door meeting with Governor Dauda Lawal, traditional rulers and other APC stakeholders, as the ruling party intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The former Zamfara State governor said the APC would adopt an issue-based campaign strategy and present what the Tinubu administration had accomplished since assuming office in May 2023.
According to him, the campaign would be driven by facts and figures, with emphasis on what the administration had done, the results of its policies and what it intended to achieve in the future.
He stressed that the APC would not make the campaign primarily about attacking individuals or opposition political parties.
Yari said the party’s message to Nigerians would instead focus on the policies, programmes and achievements of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the electorate should be presented with concrete evidence of the government’s performance.
The APC campaign chief said, “By God’s grace, we have the data. This is what we are going to do in our campaigns: facts and figures. What we have done, what we have achieved, and what we intend to do in the future.”
He added that the campaign would not be centred on mentioning the names of political opponents, saying the priority would be what the administration had been doing for Nigerians.
“We don’t call any names. Names are not important to us. Rather, what we are going to do for Nigerians and what we have been doing for the past three years we have been in office,” Yari said.
Yari’s position comes against the backdrop of the APC’s formal mobilisation for the 2027 presidential election. The party recently constituted its Presidential Campaign Council, with President Tinubu as chairman, Vice-President Kashim Shettima as vice-chairman and APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, also serving as vice-chairman.
Yari was appointed Director-General of the campaign council, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was named secretary. The council comprises several directorates covering mobilisation, election planning, legal affairs, media and strategic communication, new media and other areas.
The campaign structure reflects the APC’s intention to take the administration’s record directly to voters as the 2027 election approaches.
President Tinubu had, while inaugurating the campaign structure, urged members of the council to showcase the achievements of his administration and convince Nigerians of the need for continuity.
The President said the administration had delivered on its campaign promises and placed the country on what he described as a path towards economic progress.
He urged the campaign team to confidently present the government’s record to Nigerians and inspire hope across the country.
Yari’s latest comments therefore suggest that the APC intends to make the administration’s performance the central theme of its 2027 campaign, rather than relying primarily on promises of what a renewed government would do.
The approach could make the election a referendum of sorts on the Tinubu administration’s policies and their impact on the economy, security, infrastructure and other areas of national development.
During his visit to Zamfara, Yari also sought the support and blessings of traditional rulers for President Tinubu and other APC candidates ahead of the elections.
Governor Lawal said the meeting with the traditional rulers was organised to formally present Yari, a son of Zamfara State, following his appointment as Director-General of the presidential campaign council.
He said the engagement was also intended to secure royal blessings and promote unity and peaceful conduct before, during and after the elections.
Lawal assured the campaign council of what he described as the full support of the people of Zamfara for President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The governor had earlier described Yari’s appointment as a significant development for Zamfara and said his experience in political organisation and leadership would contribute to the APC’s efforts to retain the presidency.
The Zamfara State Government said Yari’s appointment was announced by the APC on August 22, 2026, alongside the constitution of the presidential campaign council.
Yari’s comments also reinforce an emerging strategy by the APC to defend the Tinubu administration’s record as the 2027 election campaign gains momentum.
Among the issues likely to dominate the campaign are the administration’s economic reforms, efforts to attract investment, infrastructure development, security spending, revenue mobilisation, social intervention programmes and other government policies.
The ruling party is expected to face questions from voters over the real-life impact of these policies, particularly on household incomes, the cost of living, employment, energy supply, security and economic opportunities.
By promising a campaign based on “facts and figures”, Yari has effectively placed emphasis on measurable results as the APC seeks another mandate for President Tinubu.
The strategy also places greater responsibility on the campaign council to provide verifiable data and communicate the administration’s achievements in a manner that Nigerians can relate to.
The APC campaign will take place in an increasingly competitive political environment, with opposition parties and presidential candidates also mobilising across the country ahead of the 2027 poll.
Yari’s position suggests that the APC intends to make the Tinubu administration’s record the principal selling point of its campaign, while allowing Nigerians to judge the government based on what it has achieved during its first term.
As the political contest gathers momentum, the effectiveness of that strategy is likely to depend on how convincingly the ruling party can demonstrate the benefits of its policies and reforms to voters across Nigeria.
For the APC, the message from its campaign leadership is clear: the 2027 election will be fought largely on the record of the Tinubu administration, with the party seeking votes by showcasing what it says has already been achieved rather than making promises about what it may do in the future.
