Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged voters in Calabar to renew President Bola Tinubu’s mandate in 2027. He spoke at the APC presidential campaign rally on Monday. He also asked residents to back Governor Bassey Otu’s re-election. He urged support for APC candidates for the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly.
Governor Bassey Otu was elected in 2023. The state is in the South-South, a region where the PDP and NDC have strong followings. Tinubu won Cross River in 2023. The APC wants to hold it. The rally is part of the campaign’s South-South outreach. The region is competitive. The NDC’s Peter Obi has significant support there. The APC is using incumbency and federal projects to make its case.
Shettima’s message was simple. Renew the mandate. He linked Tinubu’s re-election to the state’s development. He did not announce new projects. He did not address the economic hardship directly. He focused on continuity.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole attacked Peter Obi. Obi has promised a single four-year term if elected. Oshiomhole called it “turn-by-turn democracy.” He said Obi could not fix Anambra State when he was governor. The attack is personal. It is also strategic. Obi’s single-term promise is a key part of his appeal. Oshiomhole tried to turn it into a liability. He framed it as a lack of ambition or a lack of capacity.
In Jos, Governor Caleb Mutfwang spoke at the inauguration of the APC campaign council. He defended the administration’s economic record. He said foreign reserves fell to just over $3 billion under former President Muhammadu Buhari. He said the previous administration printed more than ₦30 trillion. He said the Central Bank has since stabilised the position. The speech was a counter-narrative. It blamed the past for the present. It credited the current government for the recovery.
Winners: Shettima, who rallied the base. Oshiomhole, who framed the attack on Obi. Mutfwang, who defended the economic record. The APC, which showed a coordinated message. Losers: Peter Obi, who was attacked. The NDC, which faces a hostile narrative in the South-South. Critics who see the rally as empty promises. Voters who face continued hardship. The PDP, which was not mentioned.
Bottom Line: The APC is campaigning on continuity and the past. Shettima asked for renewal. Oshiomhole attacked Obi. Mutfwang blamed Buhari. The messages are connected. The government wants credit for stabilising what it inherited. The opposition wants credit for offering an alternative. The 2027 election will decide which narrative wins.