Tinubu rallies party leaders to focus on economic growth
Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodimma, and the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, yesterday, signalled the formal kick-off of APC’s 2027 electoral machinery, declaring that unified messaging and disciplined grassroots mobilisation would determine victory.
 
This was as President Bola Tinubu rallied governors, federal lawmakers and APC leaders to consolidate economic reforms and intensify grassroots engagement, declaring that the administration “is moving from economic stabilisation to full-scale growth acceleration” in 2026.
 
At a high-level strategy summit at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, attended by members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), governors, National Assembly leaders and Renewed Hope Ambassadors from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Uzodimma and Yilwatda admitted that while the Tinubu administration might be winning on reforms, the party risks losing the narrative battle.
 
“The problem is not policy failure; it is communication failure, and that failure is on us,” Uzodimma said bluntly.
 
Framing the gathering as a strategic convergence rather than a ceremonial event, the PGF chairman said the party must urgently close the gap between macroeconomic indicators and public sentiment at the grassroots.
 
“We have gathered with a singular motive: to bridge the gap between the President’s transformative work and the lived reality of millions of Nigerians,” he said.
 
The Imo governor reeled out what he described as measurable gains since May 29, 2023, including stronger foreign reserves, improved oil production, domestic refining capacity, exchange rate stability, a new N70,000 minimum wage and the rollout of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). 
 
He argued that difficult reforms, including subsidy removal and fiscal restructuring, were necessary to prevent economic collapse and lay the foundations for long-term growth.
 
But beyond defending reforms, Uzodimma warned that fragmented communication, inconsistent ward-level engagement and weak membership expansion could undermine the party’s electoral prospects, if left unchecked.
 
To counter this, he unveiled a “three-pillar unified communication architecture” linking Renewed Hope Ambassadors, government information managers and APC party structures into a single coordinated system.
 
The framework includes standardised messaging guides, structured town halls, harmonised membership drives and coordinated digital campaigns with rapid-response units to combat misinformation.
 
Yilwatda reinforced the urgency, declaring governance without communication as politically self-defeating.
 
“Good governance without communication is invisible. Communication without structure is noise,” he said.
 
He insisted the APC was not in office “by accident” but by conviction, arguing that the party must institutionalise its electoral machinery ahead of 2027.
 
Both leaders underscored the strategic importance of youth and women’s inclusion, calling for measurable participation targets and structured leadership pathways within party architecture.
 
In their closing remarks, while Uzodimma reaffirmed that progressive governors stand “as partners, not spectators” in aligning governance, mobilisation and communication with Tinubu’s reform direction, Yilwatda described the next general election as a referendum on transformation and stability.

TINUBU, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, spoke at the Progressive Governors Forum and Renewed Hope Ambassadors Strategic Summit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where the ruling party reviewed policy milestones and mapped out a coordinated communication strategy ahead of the next electoral cycle.
 
Framing the administration’s first phase as one of “difficult but necessary corrections,” the President said structural reforms introduced since 2023 had begun to restore fiscal credibility and stabilise key macroeconomic indicators.
 
According to him, inflationary pressures are easing, fuel supply disruptions have been addressed, and the naira is showing stronger fundamentals, aided by interventions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
 
“Our economy is picking up. Major investment decisions across Africa increasingly favour Nigeria. That reflects renewed confidence in our direction,” he said.
 
The President disclosed that the proposed N58.18 trillion budget for 2026 would mark a pivot “from stabilisation to acceleration,” with record capital expenditure, the largest security allocation in the country’s history, and tax reforms aimed at protecting vulnerable citizens while broadening the revenue base.
 
He stressed that policy success would ultimately depend on public understanding, charging the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to take reform messages beyond conference halls into wards, markets and campuses.