President Bola Tinubu formally opened the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign for the January 16, 2027, election with a major rally in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The President was joined by Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council Abdulaziz Yari, governors, National Assembly leaders, and party chieftains from across the country. The rally, held at the Kaduna Township Stadium, is the first major presidential campaign outing since electioneering began on August 19. Kaduna holds strategic importance for the APC. In the 2023 presidential election the state voted for Atiku Abubakar (then of the Peoples Democratic Party) ahead of Tinubu. Atiku is now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai serves as Deputy Chairman of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council. The APC therefore treated the Kaduna flag-off as both a mobilisation exercise and a signal of intent in the North-West, a region that accounts for a substantial share of Nigeria’s registered voters. In the days leading up to the rally, thousands of supporters took part in solidarity marches through Kaduna organised by the Presidential Campaign Council’s Support Groups Mobilisation Directorate. Participants moved from the Savannah Bank area to the State Government House, where Governor Uba Sani received them, before proceeding to the APC state secretariat. Streets were lined with APC flags and campaign materials. Hotels in central Kaduna and Barnawa were reported fully booked as party members arrived from other states. Governor Sani and state officials described the atmosphere as one of readiness and expressed confidence that the state would deliver strong support. On the sidelines of the campaign launch, Tinubu was scheduled to inaugurate an 81-kilometre stretch of the Abuja-Kaduna highway, constructed with reinforced concrete pavement and street lighting as part of broader infrastructure work in the North-West. The Federal Government has highlighted completed and ongoing road projects in the zone as evidence of delivery under the current administration. The opposition has contested aspects of the rally’s organisation. The APC Presidential Campaign Council, through spokesperson Dele Alake, dismissed as fabricated a purported letter claiming that the Kaduna State Government had released N2.3 trillion to host the event. Alake argued that the figure exceeded the combined budgets of Kaduna State for 2024, 2025, and 2026 and accused elements within the ADC of circulating false documents, manipulated images, and AI-generated content to undermine the rally. The ADC, for its part, has maintained that it retains relevance in the state and has challenged the APC’s narrative of overwhelming local support. The Kaduna flag-off is the opening event in a proposed 36-state campaign schedule that is expected to conclude with a large rally in Lagos on January 9, 2027. Tinubu is slated to attend rallies personally in 12 states, including Kaduna, Rivers, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa, and Lagos. The campaign is taking place against a backdrop of public debate over the cost of living, fuel prices, infrastructure delivery, and security. First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has publicly pushed back against critics who argue that Nigerians have not seen progress under the administration, while opposition figures have continued to question the impact of economic reforms. As of October 24, 2026, the Kaduna rally marks the visible start of the APC’s national re-election effort. Both the ruling party and the main opposition coalitions are treating the North-West as a critical battleground. The size of the turnout, the response to infrastructure announcements, and the effectiveness of counter-messaging from the ADC and other parties will shape the early narrative of the 2027 contest.