Former Vice President [Atiku Abubakar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atiku_Abubakar) and presidential candidate Peter Obi have publicly demanded that President [Bola Tinubu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bola_Tinubu) appear before the electorate himself, rather than hide behind party surrogates, as the 2027 general election approaches.
Atiku, speaking through the African Democratic Congress (ADC) campaign council, said Tinubu’s claim of missing campaign rallies to focus on governance and investor relations does not match the urgency Nigerians felt when they begged for relief. He warned that the president has had three and a half years to govern, a period during which families have been forced to cut meals, delay medical care and watch their earnings lose value.
“Let him look a mother in the eye and explain what his government has done to make food affordable. Let him tell pensioners why they cannot afford their medicines. Let him explain to young Nigerians why years of study and hard work have still not brought them decent jobs,” Atiku quoted.
The former vice‑president added that while Tinubu tells American creditors they cannot wait, Nigerians also cannot wait for basic necessities. “They deserve a President who treats their suffering with the same urgency he gives creditors and investors,” he said, emphasizing that surrogates cannot fill an empty pot or lower market prices.
On the same day, the Peter Obi Media Office (POMR) issued a statement through spokesman Idris Zekeri, echoing the criticism. The office noted that Tinubu’s reported decision to stay away from the campaign trail raises the question: if he cannot face voters himself, why should his allies be sent to ask for votes?
Zekeri argued that accountability cannot be delegated. “Surrogates can speak for the President, but they cannot answer for his failures. They can repeat his promises, but they cannot make those promises a reality,” the statement read.
Both Atiku and Obi stressed that if the administration had delivered on its promises, Tinubu should have no hesitation in defending that record directly. They called for a direct conversation with the president on issues such as food prices, transportation costs, electricity, housing and other essentials, rather than a relay of rehearsed talking points.
In summary, the two opposition figures contend that Nigerians deserve to hear directly from the president about the state of the nation before deciding whether to grant him another four‑year mandate, and that no crowd of politicians can shield him from his own record.