The Director of News and Politics Editor at Arise News, Sumner Sambo, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu to be careful with some governors and members of his campaign team following his decision to limit physical campaign visits ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Sambo gave the warning while speaking on Arise News, where he described Tinubu’s decision not to visit every state during the campaign as a potential weakness for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The journalist said the President’s decision had provided an opportunity for opposition figures to question his physical fitness and suggest that he was avoiding voters’ anger over the country’s economic challenges.
Tinubu had announced during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council that he would allow campaign officials to take the party’s message to Nigerians across states and local government areas while he concentrated on governance.
Comparing Tinubu’s planned campaign approach with previous presidential campaigns, Sambo recalled how former President Muhammadu Buhari travelled extensively across the country ahead of the 2019 general election.
He noted that Buhari sometimes visited two or three states in a day, despite concerns at the time about his health and physical capacity.
Sambo also cited former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 2003 campaign, arguing that previous presidential candidates had demonstrated their ability to travel extensively to engage voters.
He, however, acknowledged that Tinubu’s approach was not unusual internationally, citing United States President Donald Trump’s campaign strategy, which focused heavily on battleground and swing states.
According to Sambo, the effectiveness of Tinubu’s strategy would depend on how well the APC identifies and mobilises voters in strategically important areas.
He said opposition parties had already begun using the President’s decision to limit campaign trips to question his ability to engage directly with Nigerians.
Sambo added that some opposition figures had also suggested that Tinubu was avoiding public anger over the economic hardship facing the country.
The Arise News editor, however, said he believed the President would have preferred to campaign more extensively if circumstances permitted, while advising him to pay close attention to the counsel of his advisers.
He further argued that extensive campaign tours could provide the President with opportunities to interact with traditional rulers, meet residents of troubled communities and assess conditions in areas affected by insecurity.
According to him, Buhari’s campaign visits in 2019 provided opportunities for direct engagement with communities, particularly in states affected by insurgency.
Sambo said Tinubu’s limited travels, even before the commencement of the campaign, could reduce opportunities for him to see conditions across the country firsthand.
He consequently warned the President against placing excessive reliance on governors and campaign officials to represent the situation in their respective states.
“If he is going to visit only a few places, I would say that he should be very, very careful with some state governors and members of his campaign team,” Sambo said.
He added, “He should be very careful because there are many hidden issues that cannot be disclosed now.”
The APC is expected to rely on its campaign council and grassroots structures to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general election.
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