Nigerian President Bola Tinubu launched his re-election campaign on Saturday with a rally in Kaduna, according to Reuters. The event drew a large crowd of supporters from his All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Punch Newspapers reported, with images showing backers filling the stadium.
Reuters reports that the campaign begins as economic hardship tests the president's support. At the kick-off, Tinubu blamed the opposition for the country's difficulties, telling them "you created hunger and poverty," according to Channels Television. The rally marks the formal start of his bid for another term.
The economic debate is already shaping the wider campaign. Vanguard News reported that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) pushed back after a Tinubu aide, Alake, criticized opposition figure Atiku Abubakar, arguing that such attacks do nothing to bring down food prices. Separately, Premium Times Nigeria reported that the Kaduna state government denied the existence of an alleged N2.3 trillion letter concerning APC campaign funding.
With the race now under way, attention turns to how the cost-of-living debate and opposition responses shape support for the president in the months ahead.
