The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, has argued that no political party can win the presidency by relying on dominance in only one region, insisting that electoral support across the North and South will be critical to the outcome of the next presidential election.

Yari, a former Zamfara State governor representing Zamfara West in the Senate, made the submission while dismissing suggestions that the emerging political alignment involving former vice president Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, could threaten President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Speaking on Friday after a closed-door meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Yari described concerns about the opposition figures’ political engagement as misplaced, arguing that Nigeria’s electoral arithmetic requires candidates to build support across the country.

“If you have 80 per cent control of the South but have nothing in the North, you cannot make it. If you have 80 per cent control of the North but no state in the South, you cannot make it,” he said.

Yari questioned the opposition’s capacity to establish a comparable political foothold across both regions, asking whether the African Democratic Congress (ADC) could claim control of any state in the South and whether Obi, whom he described as a former colleague, could claim a state in the North.

The senator maintained that a candidate’s strength in one geopolitical region could not compensate for a lack of support in another, arguing that the ability to build a nationwide political coalition would be decisive in the presidential contest.

To buttress his argument, Yari cited the electoral fortunes of former president Muhammadu Buhari, noting that Buhari had enjoyed substantial support in the North but struggled to secure the Presidency in previous contests before his eventual victory in 2015.

He contrasted Buhari’s earlier electoral difficulties with what he described as Tinubu’s broader political reach, expressing confidence that the incumbent had support in more than 10 states in each of the northern and southern regions.

According to Yari, the APC’s nationwide presence would give the party a strategic advantage as it prepares for the 2027 election.

Beyond the political calculations, the senator said the Tinubu administration’s economic record would be central to the APC’s campaign, insisting that the party had achievements to present to Nigerians rather than rely solely on promises.

He argued that the President had been addressing the economic challenges inherited on assuming office in May 2023, adding that the administration’s reforms should be assessed against measurable economic indicators.

“We are not promising. We are doing it, and we are going to continue,” Yari said, maintaining that the party would campaign on what the administration had accomplished and its plans to sustain its policies.

The senator’s defence of Tinubu’s record comes amid continuing debate over the effects of the administration’s economic reforms on inflation, household purchasing power, foreign exchange and economic growth.

Yari urged journalists, economists and other observers to examine key economic indicators and compare Nigeria’s position in 2023 with developments recorded in the first quarter of 2026.

He said such an assessment would provide a basis for evaluating the government’s reform programme and its progress since Tinubu assumed office.

On the APC’s campaign preparations, Yari disclosed that the party would inaugurate its campaign structure on October 14 at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, ahead of a campaign flag-off in Kaduna on October 24.

He said the proposed programme had been discussed with Tinubu and received the President’s approval, adding that the party would begin its activities immediately after the inauguration.

“The inaugural meeting is going to take place on the 14th of this month at the State House Banquet Hall. By God’s grace, on October 24, we are going to flag off our campaign in Kaduna,” he said.

Yari named Port Harcourt and Maiduguri as subsequent destinations on the proposed campaign itinerary, noting that the full timetable would be made public after the inauguration.

He said the campaign council and the President had agreed on the arrangements and were ready to commence the programme.

The planned mobilisation marks an early step in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, with the ruling party seeking to defend Tinubu’s record in office while opposition figures explore political alignments ahead of the contest. (The Guardian)