Nigeria’s Tinubu Seeks Reelection as Rival Urged to Step Aside
WHO:
ABC News - Nigerian President Bola Tinubu launched a campaign for a second presidential term.
ABC News - Tinubu faces more than a dozen opposition candidates; analysts expect the main contest to involve Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a former state governor.
Vanguard News - Former presidential aide Laolu Akande urged Atiku Abubakar to help unite the opposition and put aside personal ambition.
Vanguard News - Akande said he witnessed Tinubu being sidelined during the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.
WHAT:
ABC News - Tinubu blamed opposition parties for hunger and poverty, saying, “They created the hunger, they created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it.”
ABC News - Tinubu said, “We have prosperity and consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity,” and declared, “Fuel subsidy is in the past, no more corruption, no more lies.”
ABC News - Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election with more than 8.7 million votes; Abubakar received more than 6.9 million and Obi 6.1 million, according to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission.
ABC News - Tinubu’s vote percentage was among the lowest recorded for an elected Nigerian president.
Vanguard News - Akande said Tinubu remained in the All Progressives Congress (APC) despite alleged mistreatment, organized politically, and succeeded Buhari as president.
Vanguard News - Akande said Tinubu’s nominees Dele Alake and Wale Edun were rejected for ministerial positions, saying, “They went to choose the ones that he did not nominate to just make a point that you can’t dictate for us.”
Vanguard News - Akande said, “The person that ought to make the move here is Atiku,” and urged him to say, “I’m going to sacrifice” to help remove Tinubu from office.
Vanguard News - Akande cited the naira redesign controversy before the 2023 election and said Tinubu responded by mobilizing rather than abandoning his ambition.
WHERE:
ABC News - Tinubu launched his campaign at a rally in Kaduna, a state in northwestern Nigeria.
Vanguard News - Akande said he sat in meetings where Tinubu was placed behind him.
WHY:
ABC News - The campaign is taking place amid a cost-of-living crisis, voter anger over economic conditions, and a fractured opposition.
ABC News - Political analyst Majeed Dahiru said public discontent with Tinubu’s economic policies makes his reelection difficult to predict.
ABC News - Tinubu ended the government-funded gasoline subsidy after taking office; the article says the reform contributed to naira devaluation and widespread hardship.
Vanguard News - Akande attributed opposition difficulties partly to ego and said opposition parties must withstand pressure from the party in power.
HOW:
ABC News - An opposition alliance formed by Atiku, Obi, and others collapsed before it took off.
Vanguard News - Akande said Tinubu waited and continued organizing within the APC rather than leaving the party.
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 22:02 UTC)
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has launched his campaign for a second term at a rally in Kaduna, as voters contend with a cost-of-living crisis and a divided opposition. More than a dozen candidates are expected to run, but analysts see former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former governor Peter Obi as his main challengers. Tinubu blamed opposition parties for hunger and poverty, while defending his record and saying the fuel subsidy is in the past. Ending the subsidy after taking office contributed to currency devaluation and widespread hardship, and an analyst says public anger makes the race difficult to predict. Tinubu won the 2023 election with more than 8.7 million votes, ahead of Abubakar and Obi, though his vote share was among the lowest for an elected Nigerian president. Former presidential aide Laolu Akande urged Abubakar to set aside personal ambition and unite the opposition, whose alliance with Obi collapsed.