President Bola Tinubu is expected to miss campaign rallies in more than 20 states as the All Progressives Congress (APC) begins its nationwide campaign for his re-election ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Under the party’s campaign schedule released late Thursday, APC leaders and members of the Presidential Campaign Council will represent the President at several rallies, while he is scheduled to attend events in 12 states.
The campaign is billed to begin in Kaduna on October 24, 2026, with rallies planned across the country in the weeks leading up to the election.
According to a copy of the timetable sighted by Daily Trust, Tinubu is scheduled to skip the campaign rally in Cross River on November 2, Gombe on November 3, Nasarawa on November 4 and Ekiti on November 5. He is expected to join the campaign in Rivers State on November 7.
The President is also scheduled to be absent from rallies in Ebonyi on November 9, Jigawa on November 10, Ondo on November 11, Edo on November 12, Yobe on November 16, Kebbi on November 17, Akwa Ibom on November 18 and Anambra on November 19.
Tinubu is expected to return to the campaign trail in Plateau State on November 14 before attending the rally in Oyo State on November 21.
The campaign will subsequently move to Borno on November 25, Enugu on November 28 and Bauchi on November 29, with party leaders expected to represent the President at the rally in Benue on November 30.
The timetable indicates that the President’s campaign activities will continue into December, with rallies scheduled for Sokoto on December 5, Delta on December 12 and Kano on December 17.
His final two scheduled appearances are in Adamawa on January 4, 2027, and Lagos on January 9, while other APC leaders are expected to cover rallies in the remaining states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Overall, the schedule provides for Tinubu to personally attend campaign rallies in 12 states, leaving party leaders and campaign council members to mobilise support in other locations.
The planned absences come after Tinubu explained that he would not attend every APC campaign rally, citing the need to balance electioneering with his responsibilities as President.
Speaking on Wednesday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Tinubu said the country needed to be governed even as the party sought a fresh mandate.
He nevertheless pledged to make time to address Nigerians directly while APC leaders canvassed support for his re-election across states and local government areas.
The opposition, however, has questioned the President’s planned absence from several rallies, with the Allied Peoples Movement urging him to campaign in every state or withdraw from the presidential race.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, one of the leading contenders expected in the 2027 presidential election, also alleged that Tinubu was reluctant to face voters because of his administration’s performance.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku criticised the President’s explanation that governance would limit his campaign appearances.
“Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief? He has had three and a half years to govern. In that time, families have been forced to cut meals, postpone medical care and watch their earnings lose value before they get home,” Atiku said.
He added: “Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term.”
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