Overview
- President Bola Tinubu formally opened his campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24, 2026, telling supporters he promises a 'better tomorrow' and asking voters to re‑elect him on January 16, 2027.
- Tinubu highlighted major reforms since 2023, including a tax overhaul, exchange‑rate liberalisation and the end of the petrol subsidy, and said those moves were needed to fix long‑running fiscal problems.
- Those reforms have won investor praise and helped stabilise public finances and reserves, but they have also driven sharp inflation and a deep cost‑of‑living crisis for households.
- Retail petrol prices have surged to around 1,400 naira per litre in Lagos and Abuja and up to 1,500 naira in parts of the north, and the opening of the Dangote refinery has not yet lowered pump prices.
- The campaign says it has backing from most governors, with reports citing 31–32 APC governors, while a divided opposition and persistent security threats from banditry and a long‑running Islamist insurgency will shape voter decisions; the IMF estimates roughly 63 percent of Nigerians now live below the poverty line.