2027: APC defends Tinubu’s Kaduna rally speech, says appearance did the job
APC Defends President Tinubu’s Speech at Kaduna Rally
By Ayobami Okerinde
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to criticism regarding President Bola Tinubu’s remarks at a campaign rally in Kaduna, asserting that his mere presence at the event served its intended purpose.
Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, stated that an elaborate speech from Tinubu was unnecessary. He emphasized that the rally’s primary goal was to unify party supporters and express gratitude for their backing in the lead-up to the 2027 presidential election.
In an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Morka addressed concerns that Tinubu’s speech, delivered at the rally on Saturday, lacked substance. He commented, “All the president needed to do was to show up and say to the people in Kaduna, ‘Thank you for your hospitality, I appreciate your support, please do so again in 2027.’ If that’s all he said, he did the job.”
Morka added that a rally of this nature in Kaduna should not be viewed as a forum for detailed policy discussion. “Even if the president came there and danced and said to the people, ‘I appreciate you, thank you so much,’ and left the stage, he had done the job,” he remarked.
He further noted that the organizers of the rally were the best judges of its success, pointing out that the event was intended to gather party members, leaders, supporters, and well-wishers to welcome the president.
The rally, held on October 24, is part of the APC’s mobilization efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Kaduna being one of the key states on Tinubu’s itinerary.
During his address, Tinubu criticized opposition leaders who have attributed widespread hunger and poverty in Nigeria to his administration. “I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger. They created the poverty we are trying to eradicate,” he said.
The president also defended his administration’s record, stating, “We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I am proud of them. They are developing.”
Tinubu urged supporters to endorse his candidacy for a second term, promising them “prosperity, continuity, progress, and development.” He concluded his address by assuring the youth of the nation, “To you, the children of our country, it is a promise of second-term prosperity. You will not regret going to vote.”
