Femi Otubanjo, a Research Professor on the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, has mentioned President Bola Tinubu is not obligated to campaign throughout all 36 states forward of the 2027 basic elections.
Otubanjo mentioned Tinubu, when campaigning, can be appearing because the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, not as Nigeria’s president.
He acknowledged this whereas fielding questions on Arise Morning Show on Thursday.
According to him, the president has no obligation to deal with each Nigerian by way of campaign rallies.
“The actuality, in fact, it’s not compulsory for the president to campaign in 36 states.
“When the president goes to campaign, he is a candidate of the APC, not the president of Nigeria. So he has no obligation to speak to everybody,” he said.
Otubanjo also distinguished between political rallies and campaign rallies, arguing that what Nigerians commonly describe as campaign rallies are largely political gatherings rather than platforms for persuading voters.
He said political rallies were primarily meant to mobilise supporters who were already convinced about a candidate, rather than convince undecided voters.
Citing rallies organised by US President Donald Trump as an example, the professor said political gatherings in Nigeria were often characterised by noise and claims about achievements or promises, rather than efforts to persuade voters.
“If you can take your time and watch a video of a typical Nigerian rally, it’s all noise.
“It’s all about bragging about what they’ve achieved, or bragging about what they’ll obtain. It is not about convincing anyone,” he mentioned.
Otubanjo maintained that campaign rallies have been neither compulsory for the president nor the suitable platform for addressing the complete nation.
“And so, it’s not really compulsory. It’s not a venue. It’s not a platform for the president to address the nation,” he added.
