President Muhammadu Buhari is now set to fully participate in the last lap of the presidential campaign of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) having flagged off the electioneering in Jos, Plateau state in November 2022.
Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo SAN announced this in a statement accompanying the party’s revised campaign schedule issued on Friday, January 6, 2022, in Abuja.
Keyamo, the Minister of State, Labour, and Employment, disclosed that the president is billed to lead the campaign train in at least 10 states of the Federation while also attending the grand finale in Lagos.
He said; “The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress announces that in its revised Campaign Timetable just released, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has shown further personal commitment to the cause of the All Progressives Congress and its Presidential flag-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the 2023 Presidential election, by indicating his readiness to be physically present at some of our forthcoming presidential campaign rallies.
“Recall that Mr. President, out of his very busy schedule, had earlier attended the flag-off of the Presidential Campaign in Jos on the 15th of November, 2022. This was also after graciously accepting to be the Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling party.
“In the latest Campaign Time Table released yesterday (5th January 2023) the President is billed to join the Campaign Train in at least ten States. The States are Adamawa State on the 9th of January; Yobe State on the 10th of January; Sokoto State on the 16th of January; Kwara State on the 17th of January; Ogun State on the 25th of January; Cross Rivers State on the 30th of January; Nassarawa State on the 4th of February; Katsina State on the 6th of February; Imo State on the 14th of February and the Grand Finale in Lagos State on the 18th of February.
“The PCC expresses its profound gratitude to President Buhari, the leader of our great Party, for his sterling and inspirational leadership at this time and for galvanising our teeming members and supporters across the country.
“We urge our party faithfuls and supporters to turn out en masse, as usual, in the forthcoming campaign rallies. The zero hour is nigh; our spirits must be high; we must not relent in this our collective march to our victory that is divinely ordained”.
Since 2003 when he first ran for the presidency of Nigeria, Mr. Buhari has proven that he is a popular and influential political figure, especially in the North of the country. It is unclear if his party’s poor performance in delivering electoral promises to the Nigerian people in the last seven years has diminished that popularity.
However, several political pundits believe the President’s presence in the APC presidential train might draw more support and voters for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket.
There have also been arguments that Mr Tinubu gave unreserved support to Mr. Buhari and contributed significantly to his victories in the 2015 and 2019 elections and that it should be the President’s time to pay the APC candidate back in like measure.
“Buhari is in Abuja,” popular political analyst Ugo Egbujo wrote on Facebook on the day Mr. Tinubu campaigned in Kano. “Buhari is fit and strong. Buhari is not in Kano. Buhari should be in Kano. One good turn should deserve another. Obama was everywhere for Clinton. Obasanjo was everywhere for Yaradua.