Tinubu’s Campaign Strategy and the Unnecessary Political Storm

By Tunde Rahman The inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council last Wednesday in Abuja predictably generated talking points and criticisms. Two criticisms stand out: the inclusion of some opposition figures and the President’s acceptance of the Hope Uzodimma-led Progressive Governors’ recommendation that he should not campaign physically in all 36 states of the federation because of the exigencies of state duties. On deeper reflection, both criticisms reveal more about our old politics than about the President’s new campaign strategy. Politics, at its most mature, is about inclusion, not exclusion. That is my interpretation of the inclusion of opposition figures in the APC Presidential Campaign Council, such as Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party. All three politicians will serve as President’s Campaign Coordinators: Adeleke in Osun, Soludo in Anambra, and Wike in Rivers and FCT. For those not well-versed in President Tinubu’s politics, they should note the following: President Tinubu has always been a big tent builder, from the formation of the Action Congress to the Action Congress of Nigeria, and to the All Progressives Congress. The Renewed Hope coalition was never meant to be an APC-only choir. It is a national movement. So the presence of opposition figures in the Campaign Council is not a sign of weakness in the APC as an election vehicle, as some claim. In my view, it is a sign of strength. It shows that the President’s performance resonates even among those who once opposed him. In a democracy, when your opponents start seeing reason in your vision, you don’t slam the door shut; you leave it wide open and welcome them. Every major re-election in Nigeria’s history, from 2003, 2011, to 2019, was won by expanding the tent. In 2003, former President Obasanjo, who lost his South-west base in 1999, had to ally with the Afenifere and governors of the defunct Alliance for Democracy to broaden his support base. However, the alliance turned out to be a deception and an onslaught against the AD governors. Former Ogun State governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, aptly captured all of that on pages 277 to 300 in his book “Battlelines-Adventures in Journalism And Politics.” In 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan reached out to then ACN leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to win Lagos. In 2019, the alliance of legacy parties that gave birth to the APC and powered President Buhari’s 2015 election was further strengthened for his re-election. The point is straightforward: to win Nigeria, you must carry Nigeria along. The President’s campaign council reflects that national character: progressives, technocrats, and former rivals now united by reforms already yielding fruit in economic growth, Naira stability, investor confidence, infrastructure development, NELFUND student loans, and CrediCorp, among others. Importantly, President Tinubu’s statement that he will not campaign in every state is neither arrogance nor disregard for states he would skip. It demonstrates honesty and strategic depth. In 2022, he went to every corner of this country, even visiting some states twice or thrice, asking for a mandate to reform. He got it. In the last three years, he has spent that mandate working – not politicking. A sitting President campaigning in all 36 states for months would ground governance. The President has chosen to let his record campaign for him in many states, while deploying a robust council, surrogates, and grassroots structures to cover the field. This is what modern campaigns do globally. Barack Obama, Joe Biden and even our own President Buhari in 2019 did not physically visit every county or local government. It’s even unthinkable that a sitting President would visit every state in the United States. Barack Obama did not campaign in person in every U.S. state during his presidential bids. According to Time Magazine and Reuters, in both his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, Obama’s team famously used a “50-state strategy”. This meant building a massive nationwide volunteer and office infrastructure across all 50 states to organise supporters, raise small-dollar donations and pressure opponents. What matters is presence- not just physical presence, but the presence of campaign structures, party agents, projects, and benefits. What matters is building alliances and strategic partnerships. President Tinubu will be on the campaign trail, but he will also be in the Villa, ensuring governance does not halt, FAAC allocations continue to increase for states, security operations are funded, and foreign dignitaries and key international investors get the attention they deserve. Critics like the perennial presidential election loser, irredentist ethnic champion, and outgoing governor and presently misguided presidential candidate, as well as some rancorous television anchors, would rather have a campaign of noise and endless rallies. They are indulging in empty remonstrations. President Tinubu is offering a results-based campaign. The inauguration of the campaign council marks a shift from emotional politics to evidence-based politics. The coalition is wider because the reforms are working and the results are clearer and more visible. The strategy is smarter because the President is already governing. His successful reforms, projects across the six geopolitical zones, and his coordinators across states, local councils, and wards will spread the message: message of hope, message of reforms, results, and imminent prosperity. In the end, elections are not won by who shouted in the most states, but by who delivered for the country’s present and future, and who provided more money for states to cater for their people and build infrastructure. *Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Special Duties, is a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.