The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended President Bola Tinubu’s speech at its campaign rally in Kaduna, saying his presence at the event was sufficient to achieve its objective ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, stated this on Tuesday during an appearance on ARISE News, while responding to questions about criticism that Tinubu’s speech at the rally on Saturday, October 24, was flat.
Morka argued that the rally was primarily organised to unite party members, supporters and leaders, as well as appreciate their support, rather than serve as a platform for detailed policy discussions.
He said the president did not need to deliver an elaborate speech to fulfil the purpose of the gathering.
“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 said.
He added that even if Tinubu had simply danced, expressed appreciation to the crowd and left the stage, he would still have achieved the rally’s objective.
According to Morka, the organisers were best positioned to determine the success of the event, which was designed to bring together party members, supporters and well-wishers to welcome the president.
At the rally, Tinubu criticised opposition figures who had blamed his administration for the hunger and poverty experienced by Nigerians, insisting that previous administrations were responsible for the challenges his government was working to address.
“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,” the president said.
Tinubu also defended his administration’s performance, citing the regular payment of salaries and the activities of state governors as evidence of progress.
He urged party supporters to back his bid for a second term in 2027, promising what he described as “prosperity, continuity, progress and development.”
