*Analysts Dissect Implications Of APC Presidential Campaign Schedule For The Region*
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to make only one personal appearance at an All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in the South-East ahead of the 2027 general election, according to the party’s proposed campaign timetable, leaving the region with fewer presidential visits than other geopolitical zones.
The timetable lists Enugu as Tinubu’s only campaign destination in the South-East, although the APC plans to hold rallies in all five states of the region. The president is expected to attend the Enugu rally on November 28, 2026, while the party’s rallies in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo are not scheduled to feature him.
The proposed itinerary provides for two presidential campaign appearances in the South-South, three in the North-West and three in the North-East. Tinubu is scheduled to attend rallies in Rivers State on November 7 and Delta State on December 12, as well as events in Kaduna, Sokoto and Kano in the North-West and Borno, Bauchi and Adamawa in the North-East.
The president is also scheduled to campaign in Ibadan and Lagos in the South-West, with Lagos hosting the grand finale on January 9, 2027. Plateau State is the North-Central destination listed on his itinerary.
Two INNONEWS analysts, Ben Kamalu and Ifeanyi Nwokeji, said the distribution raises questions about the APC’s electoral calculations and its determination to expand its support in the South-East.
Mr Kamalu said the president’s limited presence in the region could reinforce the perception that the APC considers its electoral prospects there less promising than in other parts of the country.
“The campaign timetable raises a legitimate question about the importance the APC attaches to the South-East in its electoral calculations. If the party intends to improve its performance in the region, it must explain why the president’s personal campaign appearances are concentrated elsewhere,” Mr Kamalu said.
He noted that the APC’s decision to campaign in all five states showed that the party had not abandoned the region, but argued that the president’s absence from four state rallies could diminish the political significance of its campaign in those states.
“A presidential campaign rally is more than a party gathering. It gives the president an opportunity to address voters directly, defend his record and make a case for another term. The presence of governors and other party leaders is important, but it does not entirely replace that of the president,” he said.
Mr Nwokeji said the timetable should be considered against the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, when then Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi won in all five South-East states.
Mr Nwokeji argued that the APC risked underestimating the political implications of Mr Obi’s continued participation in the 2027 election, even though he is contesting on a different political party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
“The APC must not make the mistake of assuming that Peter Obi’s departure from the Labour Party automatically diminishes his appeal in the South-East. The political loyalty he demonstrated in 2023 was not simply a product of the party platform. His candidacy remains a factor the APC must reckon with, irrespective of the new party under which he now contests in 2027,” he said.
He added that the support of South-East governors for Tinubu’s re-election would not necessarily translate into equivalent support from voters.
“Even if four of the five South-East governors are working for Tinubu’s re-election, the APC cannot assume that the electorate will automatically follow their political choices. Voters make their own calculations, and perceptions of the policies and performance of the Tinubu-led APC federal government remain a significant challenge. Unless those perceptions change, they could continue to weigh against the ruling party as the election approaches,” Mr Nwokeji said.
He cited Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s remarks at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where the governor described the 2027 election as a referendum on Tinubu and all APC candidates.
“Governor Uzodimma was right to frame the election as a referendum on the president and APC candidates. That assessment captures the central challenge facing the party. Its candidates will not campaign in isolation from the federal government’s record. Voters’ judgments about the economy, living costs and other government policies could influence their decisions at the ballot box,” he said.
The analysts cautioned against treating the campaign timetable as conclusive evidence that the APC had written off the South-East. They said the party’s candidates, grassroots mobilisation and campaign activities outside the president’s personal appearances would also influence its performance.
The APC’s proposed schedule therefore presents a strategic question for the ruling party: whether campaigning in all five South-East states, while limiting Tinubu’s personal attendance to Enugu, will be sufficient to improve on its previous performance.
For a president seeking re-election, the challenge is not simply to reach every state through party structures but to persuade voters across the country that his administration merits another mandate. The South-East’s response to the APC’s campaign will help determine whether the party can make significant electoral gains in a region that overwhelmingly backed the opposition in the last presidential election.
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