President Bola Tinubu says he will not attend every presidential campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) because governance has always been a priority for him.
The president spoke on Wednesday during the inauguration of the APC presidential campaign council at the presidential villa in Abuja.
He, however, said he would make time to address Nigerians directly as party leaders criss-cross states and local governments to make a case for his re-election.
“Nigeria needs more attention now than ever before. The responsibility of this office does not pause,” he said.
“The job must go on. However, I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians, even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas. So you will excuse me from going everywhere with you.
“We have bills to pay. The American creditors cannot wait. We want those investors to come in, be here to stay, to invest for the future of our children.”
Tinubu urged party members to communicate the APC’s message and achievements to Nigerians, noting that the inauguration of the campaign council was an opportunity to renew the party’s commitment to the electorate.
“Let the word go out from this hall to every corner of our nation. The APC is ready,” he said.
“We have not gathered merely to inaugurate a council. We have got to renew a covenant.
“A covenant with Nigerian people and the historic responsibility they have entrusted to us as Nigeria’s governing party.
“This council will carry our vision, our records and our agenda to every Nigerian, and it will carry them to victory in every ward of this country.”
The president also charged members of the council to secure votes in their respective wards in the 2027 general election, saying their contributions would not count unless they deliver at the polls.
“No one gets credit for an incomplete assignment. So, until you deliver the next election, until you deliver your wards, until you deliver the votes, before we can say thank you,” he said.
On Tuesday, the APC announced an expanded list of its presidential campaign council, with Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun; and Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, among several notable additions.
