APC tells ministers, appointees to attend only campaign rallies in home states
- The APC campaign council has issued a circular limiting ministers and appointees to rallies in their home states.
- The directive, signed by campaign DG Abdulaziz Yari, also covers members of the Presidential Campaign Council.
- It follows President Tinubu's October 14 statement that he will not attend every rally ahead of 2027.
Ministers, political appointees and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council will now attend campaign rallies only in their home states, according to a circular from the party's campaign leadership.
The circular is dated Tuesday and signed by Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, the Director-General of the campaign council. It was addressed to directors and heads of directorates.
Under the new rules, ministers and appointees are to stay away from rallies outside their home states and instead work on mobilising voters in their polling units, wards and local government areas. The council said this follows the "pyramid concept" of its campaign plan.
Members of the Presidential Campaign Council face the same restriction. They are to attend rallies only in their home states and focus on carrying out their directorates' approved work plans and budgets.
National Working Committee members are also affected, with some exceptions. The National Chairman, National Secretary, National Women's Leader, National Youth Leader and National Organising Secretary are exempt. Other NWC members are to concentrate on party duties and mobilisation in their own states and geopolitical zones.
The council said the rallies are meant to energise the party's base and to tell voters about the President's achievements. Directorates without specific rally duties were told to keep working on their approved plans.
The circular also said the party wants its state assembly, House of Representatives and senatorial candidates to be more visible at the rallies.
Why the change matters
The directive comes about three weeks after President Bola Tinubu said he would not attend every APC rally before the 2027 general election. Speaking on October 14, 2026, at the inauguration of the campaign council in Abuja, Tinubu said the demands of governing and the country's financial obligations would keep him away from some events.
"So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you, we have bills to pay," the President said.
He asked campaign members to lead mobilisation across the country while he stayed focused on governance, and promised to still speak directly to Nigerians from time to time.
The party has set out a nationwide campaign timetable covering the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Tinubu is expected to lead rallies in 12 states, including Rivers, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano and Adamawa. Lagos is billed to host the grand finale on January 9, 2027.
For ordinary Nigerians, the circular signals how the ruling party plans to run its campaign: fewer national figures travelling to every state, and more reliance on local mobilisation. Whether that translates into stronger grassroots support will only be clear as the campaign unfolds.
What happens next
Directors have been asked to pass the circular to all officers in their directorates and make sure the rules are followed. Campaign activities are expected to continue across the states and geopolitical zones in the coming weeks.
