The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has dismissed criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign schedule by the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, saying the former Vice President lacks the mandate to authoritatively challenge the administration’s policies or its approach to the 2027 election.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group described Atiku’s fixation on the President as worrisome and an unnecessary obsession that holds no electoral value for the ADC.
The group said it was not surprised that Atiku was quick to react to the decision to limit the President’s campaign rallies to 12 states so that he can devote more time to governance.
It said it found even more laughable the claim that the President is reluctant to engage directly with Nigerians on the administration’s performance, insisting that Tinubu has always been answerable to the people and has kept them informed throughout more than three years in office.
TMSG argued that a politician who has lost more presidential elections than any other Nigerian, living or dead, is in no position to speak for an electorate that has repeatedly considered him unelectable.
It said it could not understand why the President’s choice to limit his presence at rallies in order to stay on top of governance has become a problem for the opposition.
According to the group, had the President announced plans to attend every rally, the same critics would have accused him of abandoning governance for politics.
The group also maintained that Tinubu has done enough across all sectors to earn a second term.
It said the economic reforms introduced since he took office have stabilised the economy and set the country on a path of steady growth.
TMSG said it is convinced that the more than 1.5 million beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), together with their parents, will vote against a candidate who has vowed to cancel all the policies introduced by the Tinubu administration.
It added that families and friends of thousands of former Nigeria Airways staff, who were just paid N21bn in severance benefits owed to them for more than twenty years, are also waiting for 16th January 2027 to show appreciation with their votes.
The group noted that the workers were removed from their jobs without being paid off under a government in which Atiku served as Vice President.
Other groups it expects to back the President, according to TMSG, include beneficiaries of tax relief for low-income earners and small businesses with a turnover of N100 million, as well as Nigerians who are enjoying free Caesarean sections and free dialysis services in selected hospitals.
The group said these citizens do not need Atiku or his media handlers to tell them how to vote, having heard the President loud and clear, and would not be swayed by promises of a return to fuel subsidy.
Responding to the claim that the President is reluctant to speak with Nigerians, the group wondered whether residents of the states where he will hold rallies are foreigners.
TMSG advised Atiku to focus instead on what it called his troubled campaign, which it said rests on a hazy plan to restore fuel subsidy in order to deceive eligible voters.
It questioned why, several weeks after the former Vice President and his team released snippets of a so-called production subsidy initiative, they have yet to provide details of a plan that is supposed to put the economy on an upward trajectory.
