Campaigns: Tinubu cannot compete with Peter Obi – Sam Amadi

Dr Sam Amadi, director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, has pointed out that second-term presidents often embark on campaign trails to persuade voters, but President Bola Tinubu seems to be making an exception. Amadi criticized Tinubu for not visiting various states, including those affected by recent calamities, and not moving around freely.

He believes that Tinubu's campaign activities are not as extensive as those of the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate, Peter Obi, or even the African Democratic Congress candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who he described as comparatively less active. Amadi suggested that if Tinubu were to participate in debates and communicate directly with the public, it could help mitigate the impact of his limited presence in the campaign.

He noted that while the president's age and frailty are undeniable, the APC, PDP, and NDC have all shown shortcomings in governance, with the World Bank recently reporting Nigeria as having the highest number of people living in extreme poverty. Amadi emphasized that second-term presidents typically travel the country, explain their policies, and address voter concerns, but Tinubu has largely relied on proxies instead.

He concluded that the party strategy might be flawed as they struggle to compete with what the opposition, particularly the NDC and Atiku Abubakar, is expected to bring to the table.