2027: APC unveils manifesto, defends Tinubu’s reforms amid economic hardship

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday unveiled its manifesto for the 2027 presidential election, defending President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms while promising to translate them into improved living conditions for Nigerians.

The manifesto, themed Translating Reforms to Shared Prosperity, outlines the ruling party’s proposed priorities for another four years in government, with emphasis on security, economic opportunities, infrastructure, affordable living and accountable governance.

However, Mr Tinubu was absent from the launch, where senior government officials and party members presented his administration’s policies as the foundation for the country’s economic recovery and future prosperity.

Speaking at the event, Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (COS) to the president, described the manifesto as a contract between the government and Nigerians, saying the administration recognised that the benefits of its reforms had yet to reach many households.

“At the heart of this manifesto is an abiding conviction that every Nigerian should be able to share. Your country should give your best efforts a fair chance,” he said.

Mr Gbajabiamila acknowledged the economic difficulties Nigerians have experienced since Mr Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, particularly following the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange system.

He said the administration had deliberately confronted longstanding economic problems, despite the immediate consequences for households.

“Now, those decisions have placed real pressure on households. We must speak honestly about that experience because the people living through it deserve to be heard, and nobody should have to pretend that it’s easy,” he said.

He, however, defended the decisions, arguing that leaving the problems unresolved would have further weakened the country’s capacity to invest in its future.

According to him, Mr Tinubu chose to govern as a leader rather than as a politician concerned primarily about the next election.

“The difference between a politician and a leader is that whereas the politician thinks about the next election, the leader thinks about the next generation. That’s exactly what President Bola Ahmed did,” he said.

Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, said the new manifesto was intended to ensure that the opportunities created by the reforms translated into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

He identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the government’s tax reforms and the Electricity Act as examples of policies intended to expand opportunities and improve public services.

He said the manifesto also commits the APC to halving the number of out-of-school children by 2031, installing seven million additional electricity meters and expanding health insurance coverage.

The COS said the party would also commit to publishing targets, identifying officials responsible for delivering them and regularly reporting progress to the public.

He urged Nigerians to scrutinise the document and hold the party accountable for its commitments.

“For those of us in public office, this is an obligation to work. The president’s determination must be matched by performance through government,” he said.

He added that the APC would seek Nigerians’ mandate in 2027 to consolidate the reforms and extend their benefits to more households.

Also speaking, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, described the unveiling as evidence of the party’s commitment to presenting its policies and programmes to Nigerians.

He said political parties had a responsibility to articulate their aspirations, objectives and reasons for seeking public office.

Mr Alake described the APC as Nigeria’s most organised and purposeful political party, arguing that no civilian administration since independence had undertaken reforms as extensive as those introduced by Mr Tinubu.

He challenged critics to a public debate over his assessment, insisting that the administration had confronted structural economic problems that previous governments had avoided.

“No other leader in the history of this country has looked at the structural economic problems of this country, and decided to take the bulls by the horns and confront those problems,” he said.

He cited the removal of the petrol subsidy and the changes to the foreign exchange system as examples of the president’s willingness to take politically difficult decisions.

According to him, the subsidy regime had benefited powerful interests through smuggling, over-invoicing and other practices at the expense of the country’s development.

He also argued that the previous foreign exchange system enabled individuals with privileged access to government officials and the Central Bank of Nigeria to obtain dollars at official rates and make substantial profits without contributing to productive economic activities.

Mr Alake said the Tinubu administration had taken steps to address these distortions, adding that the reforms had begun to attract recognition from international rating agencies and investors.

He rejected criticism that the government’s policies were benefiting wealthy Nigerians at the expense of poorer households, arguing that businesses and wealthy investors were important sources of employment and economic growth.

He also cited NELFUND as an example of the administration’s efforts to deliver direct benefits to ordinary Nigerians.

The minister also highlighted the solid minerals sector as an example of what he described as the impact of the administration’s economic diversification policies.

He said revenue generated by the sector increased from N6 billion in 2023 to N38 billion in 2024 and N70 billion in 2025.

According to him, Central Bank of Nigeria figures showed that revenue exceeded N101 billion in the first nine months of 2026.

Mr Alake attributed the increase to policies his ministry introduced to improve the sector’s contribution to the economy.

He said the manifesto would consolidate existing reforms and extend their benefits across sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, industrial development and solid minerals.

He urged Nigerians to support the APC for another term, arguing that the country needed continuity to consolidate the reforms’ gains.

“You don’t change a winning horse. The APC government is a winning horse. You cannot afford to change it,” Mr Alake said.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, also defended the administration’s economic direction, saying the private sector had acknowledged progress in implementing Mr Tinubu’s promises.

He recalled that the APC’s previous manifesto was presented through consultations involving civil society organisations, business leaders and other groups, arguing that the process helped create a sense of ownership.

Mr Bagudu said the Nigerian Economic Summit Group had recently provided another opportunity for the government and private sector to assess the administration’s economic policies.

According to him, business leaders expressed confidence in the government’s direction and reported increased investment.

He, however, acknowledged that the administration had not done enough to ensure that every Nigerian experienced the benefits of its policies.

“But as we all know, even before any session, he felt that, yes, we have done well. But until we deliver and ensure that every Nigerian feels prospered, especially those hardworking Nigerians, everybody, and those who are otherwise disadvantaged are supported, we still have work to do,” he said.

Mr Bagudu recounted an experience Mr Tinubu allegedly shared with him during the President’s campaign in Zamfara State.

He said the president had seen a woman selling carrots late in the evening, with flies gathering around her produce, apparently because she was exhausted.

According to him, Mr Tinubu was concerned that despite the woman’s efforts, she was not receiving an adequate reward for her labour.

Mr Bagudu said the president subsequently asked an aide to take money to the trader, describing the incident as an illustration of his concern for ordinary Nigerians.

The minister also defended the administration’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy and undertake other economic reforms, saying the policies were necessary to address longstanding structural weaknesses.

He cited rising government revenue and the country’s economic growth as evidence of progress.

Mr Bagudu said Nigeria had recorded 13 consecutive quarters of economic growth, while inflation was declining.

He argued that the administration’s objective was not simply to stabilise the economy but to ensure that economic growth translated into improved living conditions.

A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano), identified the expansion of Nigeria’s fiscal space as one of the administration’s most significant achievements.

Mr Jibrin said that although the country still had a budget deficit, increased non-oil revenue had expanded the government’s capacity to finance development.

He cited the increase in allocations to states following the removal of petrol subsidy, as well as ongoing infrastructure projects, as evidence of the administration’s efforts.

Mr Jibrin specifically mentioned the Abuja-Kaduna and Kaduna-Kano roads, the proposed completion of the Kaduna-Abuja-Kano railway corridor and the government’s intervention in the Dawanau agricultural market in Kano State.

He said the government had also taken steps to provide electricity infrastructure to the market, which he described as one of the largest agricultural markets in West Africa.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also defended the administration’s record, citing improvements in security, education, foreign exchange management and macroeconomic indicators.

He said the security situation along the Abuja-Kaduna road had improved, noting that motorists could now travel between the two locations without the same level of fear associated with bandit attacks in previous years.

Mr Idris also cited the NELFUND, saying about 1.6 million students had benefited from the scheme.

He argued that the programme had enabled students who might otherwise have been unable to afford tertiary education to access financial support for their studies.

The minister further cited Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list in October 2025 and improved assessments by international credit rating agencies as evidence of the administration’s economic reforms.

He said the government had also addressed concerns about foreign investors’ inability to repatriate funds, arguing that the reforms had improved confidence in the Nigerian economy.

Mr Idris urged journalists to report the administration’s achievements alongside its shortcomings, arguing that criticism should not prevent the media from acknowledging positive developments.

“It is important to criticise. It is important to point out areas of correction for any government. Indeed, that is your role as journalist. But it is also important that you know that it is not only when you are adversarial that you can lay claim to good journalism or good media,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to support Mr Tinubu, saying the administration was laying the foundation for sustained economic prosperity.