President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday received the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Abdulaziz Yari, in an audience at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Yari announced that the campaign flag-off for President Tinubu is scheduled to be held in Kaduna on October 24, following discussions with the President on the campaign timetable and planned state visits.
According to him, the inaugural meeting is scheduled for October 14 at the State House Banquet Hall, while the campaign will officially commence in Kaduna on October 24.
“The President asked for me to come and brief him on where we are, and to discuss the timetable for the state visits. By God’s grace, his team, I and Mr President himself, we have agreed on how it’s going to be done,” Yari said.
He added that the President had approved the proposed schedule for the campaign activities, including visits to various states across the country. Port Harcourt and Maiduguri are among the destinations identified for subsequent visits.
“The next state is going to Port Harcourt. From there, we will be in Maiduguri. We have the timetable, and we’re going to make it available after the inauguration,” the senator said.
On the political strength of the opposition, particularly former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Yari argued that winning a presidential election requires broad support across Nigeria’s northern and southern regions.
He maintained that no candidate could secure victory by relying predominantly on one part of the country, stressing the importance of building a nationwide political coalition.
“If you have 80 per cent control of the North, if you don’t have any state in the South, you may not make it. If you have 80 per cent of the South, if you don’t have anything in the North, you cannot make it,” Yari said.
The senator cited the electoral experience of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that strong support in the North alone had previously proved insufficient to secure victory. He contrasted that experience with what he described as the All Progressives Congress’s wider political reach under Tinubu.
Yari expressed confidence that President Tinubu enjoys considerable support in both regions, claiming that the President has the backing of more than 10 states in the South and over 10 states in the North.
He also defended the Tinubu administration’s record since assuming office, arguing that its performance provides a basis for the ruling party to engage Nigerians ahead of the next electoral contest.
“President Bola Tinubu, since the time he assumed office, has turned around the situation that he met on the ground. The economy is still moving,” he said.
Emphasising the administration’s approach to governance, Yari said the ruling party would campaign on its record rather than rely solely on promises.
“We are not promising. We are doing it, and we are going to continue,” he declared.