The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has explained why President Bola Tinubu will attend campaign rallies in only 12 states ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It said the selected states are strategically important to the party’s electoral chances.

Politics Nigeria reports that the campaign council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, said the president selected states he considered pivotal to the election rather than embarking on a nationwide campaign tour.

He added that Tinubu would not abandon governance to campaign across the country.

Alake spoke during an interview seen on Monday, while defending the president’s decision to limit his physical appearances at campaign rallies.

According to him, Tinubu’s responsibilities as a sitting president make it difficult for him to visit every state, unlike in 2023 when he campaigned as a presidential candidate without the demands of the presidency.

He said the 12 states selected for the president’s campaign appearances were important electoral locations, adding that the decision should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in campaigning.

“The president has a lot on his plate,” Alake said, while describing the demands of Tinubu’s responsibilities as enormous.

He argued that the president had chosen states across different zones that could play decisive roles in the election.

If you were to do a serious empirical verification of those zones and states, you would find out that those places he’s chosen to go are actually deciders, election deciders,” he said.

Alake also criticised media reports suggesting that Tinubu’s decision not to campaign across the country indicated a lack of commitment to the 2027 election.

He described such interpretations as negative and maintained that the president’s decision to prioritise governance alongside campaigning should be commended.

The APC spokesman further argued that Tinubu could face criticism if he suspended governance to focus entirely on electioneering.

According to him, the president’s approach is intended to ensure that government business continues while the ruling party mobilises support for the next election.

Alake also defended the administration’s economic policies, describing the period since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 as one devoted to reforms aimed at addressing Nigeria’s structural economic challenges.

He cited the removal of the petrol subsidy and the harmonisation of the foreign exchange market as major policy decisions taken by the administration.

He said the reforms had helped restore investor confidence and strengthen Nigeria’s foreign reserves, which he claimed had risen from about $4 billion when Tinubu took office to more than $50 billion.

Alake maintained that the administration’s policies were designed to establish a stronger economic foundation, arguing that their benefits should be assessed beyond immediate changes in food prices and other household expenses.

He acknowledged concerns about the gap between improvements in macroeconomic indicators and the economic realities facing ordinary Nigerians but insisted that benefits were already emerging.

The spokesman also urged Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, arguing that continuity would allow the administration to consolidate its economic reforms.

According to APC campaign schedule released on Thursday, Tinubu is expected to flag off his campaign in Kaduna State on October 24.

He is subsequently scheduled to attend rallies in Rivers State on November 7, Plateau State on November 14 and Oyo State on November 21.

The president is also expected to attend rallies in Borno, Enugu and Bauchi states on November 25, 28 and 29, respectively.

However, Tinubu is not scheduled to attend rallies in 13 other states listed for November. These include Cross River, Gombe, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ondo, Edo, Yobe, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Anambra and Benue.

The campaign is expected to continue in December, with rallies scheduled for Sokoto State on December 5, Delta State on December 12 and Kano State on December 17.

Tinubu’s final two scheduled appearances are in Adamawa State on January 4 and Lagos State on January 9.