Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu on Saturday formally launched his campaign for a second term at a rally in the northwestern state of Kaduna. "We have prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity," Tinubu said. "You grant me the privilege to promise you once again, there is that promise of a better tomorrow."
Africa's most populous country will hold its next presidential election in January 2027. The campaign is expected to focus heavily on Nigeria's economy and security challenges. Tinubu angered many soon after taking power in 2023 by scrapping long-standing fuel subsidies, a move that has contributed to soaring inflation. At the rally, he dismissed criticism of his economic policies. "I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did," Tinubu said. "They created the hunger, they created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it."
Earlier this month, in his Independence Day address, Tinubu acknowledged the country's economic difficulties, arguing that his reforms "confronted" weaknesses in the economy rather than creating them. His government has since announced potential price caps on fuel.
Security also looms large. Nigeria continues to battle armed bandits, kidnappers, and a long-running jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram. On Friday, gunmen killed at least 20 people in an attack on a village in the country's northeast.
Tinubu's main challengers are expected to be former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former state governor Peter Obi. In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu secured 36.6 per cent of the vote, with Abubakar at 29 per cent and Obi at 25.4 per cent.