Tinubu Flags Off APC Presidential Campaign in Kaduna, Says Opposition Created Hunger and Poverty

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday flagged off the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaign in Kaduna with an attack on opposition parties, accusing them of being responsible for the hunger and poverty facing Nigerians.

Tinubu, who spoke at the campaign flag-off, said his opponents have no solution to offer and are only angry because they failed when they had opportunity to lead.

The President said the opposition created the current hardship the country is trying to overcome, adding that his administration is working to eradicate poverty and restore prosperity.

He said, I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger. They created the poverty we are trying to eradicate.

Tinubu defended the performance of his administration and that of APC governors across the country, saying they are delivering development and paying salaries regularly.

According to him, we pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I am proud of them. They are developing.

He urged supporters to mobilise and vote massively for his re-election on January 16, 2027, promising prosperity, continuity and development in his second term.

Tinubu said, come January 2027, January 16, you must go out massively to elect me again. APC all the way. APC for our governors. APC for our senators. APC for our honourable members.

He repeatedly asked supporters to confirm they have their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, telling them that their future is in their hands and will be decided through their fingerprints at the ballot.

The President dismissed opposition criticism as heckling from failures, saying his administration offers prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity.

He also reacted to the pledge by former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to return petrol subsidy if elected, saying fuel subsidy removal has come to stay.

Tinubu said fuel subsidy is in the past, adding that there will be no more corruption, falsification of invoices and smuggling of wealth under his government.

He praised APC governors for development strides in their states and reiterated his promise of a better tomorrow for Nigerians, including young people.

The President said voters will not regret supporting his re-election and urged them to remain vigilant against lies.

He acknowledged the historical significance of Kaduna State as a pre-independence convergence point for political leaders and prayed for departed leaders.

Speaking earlier, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the administration had fought for the survival of the nation and kept the country together despite predictions of economic failure.

Shettima said Nigerians chose Tinubu in the last election because they knew the alternative was calamity, and called on the people of Kaduna State to renew the mandate of Governor Uba Sani.

He said Governor Uba Sani has unified Kaduna State and ensured dividends of democracy are felt across the state, describing it as the legacy of APC.

Shettima explained that Kaduna was chosen for the flag-off because the party has kept its promises to the state, citing the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, the Federal University of Education, Zaria, vocational institutes in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf, and education funding through NELFUND.

He said President Tinubu stood solidly behind the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019, noting that Tinubu is a man of honour and integrity deserving of support for a second term.

The Kaduna rally marks the formal launch of APC campaign for President Tinubu’s re-election ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.