Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar used a campaign event in Sokoto to highlight the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, while former Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II credited President Bola Tinubu with steering an economic recovery, Premium Times Nigeria reported on Thursday.
The two assessments came from the same event, the flag-off of Atiku's presidential campaign for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), according to reports from Premium Times Nigeria, TheCable, Channels Television and Punch Newspapers. Atiku arrived in Sokoto for the launch, where he also promised to address insecurity, reopen the country's borders and bring back subsidy payments, Premium Times Nigeria reported.
The ADC said the size of the crowd at the Sokoto rally demonstrated widening public dissatisfaction with Tinubu's administration, according to TheCable.
The contrasting messages underline the competing economic narratives shaping the run-up to the 2027 elections. Atiku's platform centres on relief measures and a promise to tackle insecurity, while Sanusi's remarks, as reported by Premium Times Nigeria, present the current government's policies as producing recovery.
Atiku's proposals to reopen borders and restore subsidy mark a direct break with policies pursued under Tinubu, and the Sokoto event gave both camps a stage to make their case to voters in the northwest.
What to watch next: how the ADC campaign develops after the Sokoto launch, and whether the government responds to Sanusi's endorsement and Atiku's policy pledges.
