2027: Stop following Tinubu to rallies, return to grassroots, Kalu tells APC leaders

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has urged leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop following President Bola Tinubu from one campaign rally to another and concentrate on grassroots mobilisation in their respective states, local government areas and wards ahead of the 2027 general elections. Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District and serves as Coordinator of Parliamentary Mobilisation for the South-East, made the call in a statement titled, “The APC Presidential Campaign Council and the Need for a Leaner Campaign Train.” He argued that Tinubu should be accompanied by a smaller campaign team, while other party leaders should remain in their respective political bases to engage voters and strengthen the party’s grassroots structures.

The senator’s position comes days after the APC Presidential Campaign Council issued guidelines restricting ministers, political appointees and campaign council members to rallies organised in their respective home states. The circular, signed by the Director-General of the council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, on November 3, was addressed to directors and heads of directorates.

It directed political appointees and other campaign officials to attend only rallies in their home states as part of efforts to improve coordination and grassroots mobilisation. The council also adopted what it described as the pyramid concept of mobilisation, which prioritises engagement at polling unit, ward, local government and state levels. Under the arrangement, campaign officials and party leaders are expected to concentrate on building support at the grassroots rather than concentrating around the President during rallies.

Kalu cited his political activities in Abia State as an example of the importance of grassroots mobilisation. He recalled leading more than 4,000 APC members in his Igbere Ward A, Bende Local Government Area, during the party’s presidential primary in May. He said the exercise demonstrated the importance of building political support from the ward level.

At the exercise, the returning officer, Mr Ulu Onwuchekwa, announced that Tinubu scored 4,986 votes in the ward. Tinubu had also urged members of the campaign council to take responsibility for mobilisation across the country, saying he would concentrate on governance. The President made the appeal on October 14 during the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja.

The campaign was subsequently flagged off in Kaduna on October 24, with plans to take the campaign to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Tinubu is, however, expected to personally attend rallies in only 12 states. The November 3 circular further directed campaign directorates without specific responsibilities at rallies to concentrate on their approved work plans and budgets.

It also outlined the responsibilities of members of the APC National Working Committee, directing those outside designated national officers to focus on party administration and mobilisation in their respective states and geopolitical zones. The designated officers exempted from the restriction include the National Chairman, National Secretary, National Women Leader, National Youth Leader and National Organising Secretary.

The guidelines are also intended to create opportunities for APC candidates contesting legislative positions to participate more actively in campaign activities in their respective states and constituencies. Kalu maintained that effective grassroots engagement would be critical to the party’s electoral prospects in 2027, stressing the need for leaders to maintain contact with voters and strengthen party structures at the ward level.

He said the focus should be on direct engagement with constituents rather than the size of the entourage accompanying the President at campaign events. Kalu, a former governor of Abia State and former Senate Chief Whip, has remained active in APC political mobilisation in the South-East. The senator’s call reinforces the campaign council’s position that effective mobilisation requires party leaders to work within their designated areas and strengthen support from the grassroots ahead of the 2027 elections.