Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has announced that he will limit his personal involvement in the upcoming presidential campaign, delegating significant portions of the electoral effort to party surrogates. Speaking at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja last Wednesday, shortly after inaugurating the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Tinubu stated that he would not be present at every campaign stop. According to Premium Times, the president explained that the rigour of campaigning should not distract him from governance, asserting that Nigeria needs his attention more than ever. He told the assembled council members, "So, you will excuse me from going everywhere with you," indicating a strategic retreat from direct voter engagement.
The decision has been interpreted by the publication as a move to rely on key figures such as Vice President Nentawe Yilwatda, APC Chairman Nyesom Wike, and the 31 governors of the party. Premium Times argues that this delegation allows the president to avoid direct scrutiny from citizens facing rising living costs and security challenges. The article likens this approach to the "chichidodo" bird from Ayi Kwei Armah’s novel, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born. In the story, the chichidodo is a mythical bird that hates excrement but feeds on the maggots found within it. The publication uses this allegory to describe a leader who maintains an image of moral purity and focus on governance while relying on the very political machinery that generates the mess.
Historical parallels are drawn in the report to previous leaders who adopted similar "aloofness" during re-election bids. Premium Times notes that President Shehu Shagari used a similar strategy during the 1983 Nigerian election, relying on party barons to run regional campaigns while he remained in Lagos. The publication also references former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who employed a "Rose Garden strategy" in 1980, managing his re-election campaign from the White House while claiming to focus on presidential duties. Both leaders faced criticism for appearing isolated from public realities, with Carter ultimately losing to Ronald Reagan. The article suggests that Tinubu’s approach, taken as the 2027 elections draw near, risks a similar perception of moral absenteeism, insulating him from the lived grievances of the electorate while his surrogates handle the public-facing aspects of the campaign.