APC rolls out 2027 manifesto, concedes Tinubu's reforms haven't reached all Nigerians

The All Progressives Congress launched its 2027 presidential manifesto on Tuesday, a document it calls a contract with Nigerians built around security, economic opportunity, infrastructure, affordable living and accountable governance. President Bola Tinubu stayed away from the event, leaving senior officials and party figures to pitch the programme. The theme: Translating Reforms to Shared Prosperity.

Femi Gbajabiamila, Tinubu's chief of staff and a former House of Representatives speaker, did not sugarcoat the past three years. He said the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange system, both introduced after Tinubu took office in May 2023, had put real pressure on households. He framed the trade-off as deliberate, saying unresolved economic problems would have weakened Nigeria's ability to invest in its future.

The manifesto commits the APC to halving the number of out-of-school children by 2031, installing seven million additional electricity meters and widening health insurance coverage. Gbajabiamila pointed to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the government's tax reforms and the Electricity Act as proof of intent. He said the party would publish targets, name the officials responsible and report progress regularly.

Dele Alake, the solid minerals minister and spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, dared critics to a public debate over the administration's record. He said no civilian government since independence had taken on structural economic problems the way Tinubu has, and dismissed claims the reforms favour the wealthy by arguing businesses and investors create jobs. On the solid minerals sector, he said revenue hit N6 billion in 2023, N38 billion in 2024 and N70 billion in 2025, citing Central Bank of Nigeria figures showing it passed N101 billion in the first nine months of 2026.

Alake's closing pitch was blunt: you don't swap a winning horse, and the APC is that horse. Budget and Economic Planning Minister Atiku Bagudu backed the direction too, saying the Nigerian Economic Summit Group had given government and business leaders a chance to assess the policies, and that executives reported rising investment and confidence. Even so, Bagudu conceded the administration still has work to do before every Nigerian, especially hardworking and disadvantaged citizens, feels the benefit.

Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to read the manifesto closely and hold the party to its word, calling it an obligation to perform rather than a slogan. The APC will ask voters for another mandate in 2027 to consolidate the reforms and spread their gains to more households.