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VENO tV EDITORIAL 2027 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: LET THE CAMPAIGN BE ABOUT IDEAS, NOT ATTACKS
Date: 29-08-26

The battle for Nigeria’s 2027 presidency has effectively begun, and Nigerians should expect the candidates and their political parties to come forward with clear programmes, policies and convincing agendas for the country.

This should not be another election dominated by insults, propaganda and personality attacks. Nigerians are facing serious economic challenges and deserve to know what each presidential candidate intends to do differently.

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, appears to have fired one of the early salvos by declaring that, if elected, he would restore petrol subsidy. His position has immediately reopened one of the biggest economic debates of the Tinubu administration.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy on assuming office in May 2023. Since then, the question of fuel prices and the cost of living has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s political conversation.

Atiku has now gone further.
He has also promised to reopen Nigeria’s land borders to encourage legitimate trans-border trade, arguing that border restrictions have negatively affected many young Nigerians and small businesses that depended on commerce with neighbouring countries.

Predictably, Atiku’s proposals have attracted strong responses from the Presidency and figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress.
But this is where the real campaign should begin.
Rather than concentrating mainly on condemning Atiku’s proposals, President Tinubu and the APC should place their own record and plans before Nigerians.

What has the administration achieved?
What will it do differently in another four years?
What is its plan for petrol prices, transportation, food inflation, employment, security, electricity, education and the welfare of ordinary Nigerians?

These are the questions that should dominate the 2027 presidential contest.

The Federal Government deserves credit for initiatives already introduced to cushion transportation costs, including the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, which was established in 2023 following the removal of petrol subsidy.

However, Nigerians are entitled to demand evidence of how far these programmes have gone and how significantly they have improved everyday life.

The opposition should equally be challenged. Promising to restore subsidy is one thing; explaining how it will be funded, managed transparently and prevented from becoming another avenue for corruption and waste is another.

Likewise, reopening the borders must come with a clear strategy for national security, local industries, customs revenue and the prevention of smuggling.
That is the kind of campaign Nigeria needs — proposal against proposal, record against record and agenda against agenda.

Meanwhile, controversy continues to trail the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, particularly over the inclusion of some serving public officials and concerns about possible conflicts between official responsibilities and partisan campaign duties. The Presidency has, however, clarified that the campaign council list has not been withdrawn, although adjustments may still be made.

We also await the full campaign machinery of the ADC and the programmes of other presidential contenders.

For now, Atiku’s early policy declarations are generating debate and giving Nigerians issues to discuss. But the election is still a contest, not a coronation. Every candidate must be subjected to the same scrutiny.

President Tinubu should defend his record and tell Nigerians what another mandate would deliver. Atiku must explain the details and costs behind his promises. Other candidates must equally present credible alternatives.

Let 2027 be a battle of ideas.
The Nigerian electorate deserves nothing less.
Interesting days are ahead.

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