The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC),
Senator Abdul’azizYari, has said no leader can promise to eliminate Nigeria’s economic and security problems outright, calling such pledges unrealistic and misleading.
He, instead, defended the Tinubu administration’s record, arguing that incremental measures are beginning to ease food prices and strengthen security.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, Yari said governments everywhere confront persistent difficulties and that responsible leadership should focus on gradual improvement rather than sweeping guarantees.
The APC delegation sought the Emir’s prayers and support for . Tinubu’s re-election effort.
His remarks came a day after the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) launched its presidential campaign in Bauchi.
Its candidate, Seyi Makinde, pledged that a “Reset Nigeria” agenda would tackle the country’s economic and security challenges.
Yari acknowledged that a bag of rice had risen to about 110,000 naira under the Tinubu administration, but said government interventions had helped bring prices down.
He cited Dangote rice at 58,000 to 60,000 naira per bag and said prices for millet, sorghum and beans had also declined.
He argued that the measures were improving food access for lower-income Nigerians, while challenging critics to offer alternatives beyond the administration’s current approach.
“If someone says there is hunger, ask them what specific actions they would take, different from what we are doing, to effectively address the problem,” he said.
On insecurity, Yari said the Tinubu government had committed more resources to the security sector than its predecessors, with spending he described as running into trillions of naira.
He said increased funding and equipment were supporting security agencies’ operations.
He conceded that the crisis could not be resolved quickly, tracing today’s threats to the Boko Haram insurgency and its later evolution into banditry and other criminal activity.
Successive governments, he said, had attempted to address the problem, and he expressed confidence that Nigeria would ultimately prevail.
Yari also described Tinubu’s re-election as a matter of political fairness and regional balance.
He said southern leaders, including Tinubu, had backed former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, through two terms, and argued that northern voters should now support Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
“Tinubu provided significant support to our brother from the North, Muhammadu Buhari, enabling him to serve for two terms,” Yari said.
“The Hausa people say that reciprocating a good gesture is a mark of honour.
The visit formed part of the APC campaign’s outreach to traditional rulers, which Yari described as an effort to secure prayers and blessings for the president’s re-election bid.
The Emir thanked the delegation and prayed for an end to the country’s challenges.
Yari, a former Governor of Zamfara State and senator representing Zamfara West, was appointed G
Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in August, as the party began early mobilization for the January 2027 election.
