The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt early re-election campaigns and instead focus on addressing Nigeria’s urgent issues like hunger, insecurity, and economic hardship

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]inubu Re-election campaigns are a distraction from the pressing issues facing Nigeria, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned.

Also read: North-Central APC forum backs Tinubu for 2027 Re-election

In a stern statement released on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, the ACF urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and top federal government officials to prioritise governance over premature political manoeuvring for the 2027 polls.

The ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, expressed deep concern over the “avalanche of challenges bedeviling the country,” including escalating insecurity, the soaring cost of living, crises in the energy, health, and education sectors, a weakening Nigerian currency, and high food prices.

As we observed a year ago, the existential challenges above are symptomatic of a fundamental malaise in the political economy, calling for urgent public policy attention.

“Disappointingly, it would seem to be the case that the ruling party at the centre is more obsessed with unprecedented early campaigns, defections to it, and other manoeuvres for re-election in 2027, amidst putative celebrations of mid-term policy successes.”

This strong rebuke from the ACF comes after various stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently endorsed President Tinubu as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

During a national summit held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, all 22 APC governors, members of both chambers of the National Assembly, and the National Working Committee (NWC) led by national chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, unanimously backed the President’s re-election bid.

However, the ACF believes the ruling party’s focus on early campaigns is a misstep given the dire situation on the ground.

The Forum flayed the APC for prioritising political strategising instead of “nipping in the bud the several challenges confronting the country.”

While citizens grapple with hardships, including the aftermath of incidents like the recent GSM market inferno where traders are counting losses, and the tragic deaths of Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, the ACF stresses the need for immediate government intervention and a shift in priorities.