President Bola Tinubu will not attend most of his own campaign rallies ahead of the 2027 election.
According to the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign schedule released late Thursday, party leaders will represent Tinubu in more than 20 states.
The campaign will kick off in Kaduna on October 24, 2026 .
The timetable shows Tinubu will personally attend rallies in only 12 states.
Other party leaders and campaign council members will cover the remaining states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) .
Tinubu’s Campaign Schedule And Absences
The President will take a break from campaigning on November 2.
He will miss rallies in Cross River on that date, Gombe on November 3, Nasarawa on November 4, and Ekiti on November 5.
He will return to the campaign trail in Rivers on November 7.
Tinubu will also be absent from Ebonyi on November 9, Jigawa on November 10, Ondo on November 11, and Edo on November 12.
He will rejoin the campaign in Plateau on November 14.
Further absences include Yobe on November 16, Kebbi on November 17, Akwa Ibom on November 18, and Anambra on November 19 .
The schedule shows Tinubu will attend the Oyo rally on November 21.
He will then appear in Borno, Enugu and Bauchi on November 25, 28 and 29.
He will miss Benue on November 30 .
In December, Tinubu is scheduled for Sokoto on December 5, Delta on December 12, and Kano on December 17.
His final appearances are Adamawa on January 4 and Lagos on January 9.
Other party leaders will represent him at rallies in the remaining 12 states in December .
President Claims Governance as Reason
Tinubu explained his decision on Wednesday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said there was a country to run.
The President indicated that his responsibilities as head of government would limit his participation in some campaign activities .
“You have warned me and asked me not to allow the rigour of the campaign to distract me from governance. I hear you. I am in full agreement with your decision,” Tinubu said .
“Nigeria needs more attention now than ever before. The responsibility of this office does not pause.”
He pledged to make time to address Nigerians directly as party leaders move across states and local government areas.
“However, I will still make time to speak directly with Nigerians, even as you lead the campaign in the states and local government areas. So you will excuse me from going everywhere with you,” he added .
Opposition Parties Push Back
The opposition has criticised the President’s planned absences.
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) asked Tinubu to campaign in all states or withdraw from the presidential race .
The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) said the decision was “a desperate attempt to evade public resentment” .
“If President Tinubu is so fatigued, that he cannot go round the country to canvass for votes, then he should withdraw from the race as Nigerians are not ready to continue with an absentee and lethargic president,” the campaign said.
Atiku Campaign Calls Tinubu’s Rally Absences Contempt For Voters
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, also attacked the President.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said: “Tinubu says he may miss campaign rallies because Nigeria needs his attention. Where was that urgency when Nigerians pleaded for relief? He has had three and a half years to govern.”
“Now he wants another mandate. Before asking Nigerians for one, he must face them and account for the first term.”
The ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Tinubu’s decision amounted to contempt for the electorate.
“What President Tinubu has done is a clear act of contempt against the Nigerian people. The APC is known for its contempt for Nigerians,” he said .
“How can a man who wants to be re-elected as president, after failing woefully, say he does not want to visit the people he seeks to govern? It is an aberration of norm.”
Ologbondiyan rejected the argument that official duties could prevent Tinubu from campaigning nationwide.
He cited former Nigerian presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, as well as American presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris .
“Saying that he (Tinubu) will be attending to official assignments is untrue, fake, deceitful and insincere. Didn’t former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari attend to official duties while campaigning for their return tickets? Didn’t Donald Trump campaign? Didn’t Kamala Harris campaign? Why is Tinubu’s case different?” he queried .
Ologbondiyan alleged that public anger over hunger, poverty, insecurity and economic hardship explained the President’s reluctance to engage voters.
“He knows Nigerians are hungry and angry. He knows that the average Nigerian finds it difficult to eat and to be secure. He has failed on all fronts, so he is afraid to face Nigerians,” he said.
The ADC-PCC spokesman described Atiku as physically fit and mentally alert.
He said the former vice-president was prepared to campaign across the 36 states and the FCT.
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