Post by Adedayo Oduwobi (@stopit)

TINUBU WANTS ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. BUT WILL HE PERSONALLY FACE THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE?

A presidential election is not a family arrangement. It is not a business transaction conducted by proxy. And it is certainly not a ceremonial exercise in which political associates make promises on behalf of a candidate while the candidate remains comfortably removed from the people whose votes he desperately needs.

It is a social contract between the candidate and the electorate.

The people vote. The candidate assumes responsibility. And when the time comes to renew that mandate, the candidate owes the people an explanation of what he has done, what he has failed to do, and why he deserves another opportunity.

That is why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration that he will not attend every campaign rally ahead of the 2027 election deserves serious public scrutiny.

The President says Nigeria needs his attention and that the responsibilities of governance cannot be suspended for campaigning. That argument deserves consideration. A sitting president does have official responsibilities.

BUT HERE IS THE QUESTION: CAN GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY BE SEPARATED?

If you want another four years, Nigerians are entitled to ask you to defend your record personally.

They deserve to ask you why the cost of living has become unbearable for many households. They deserve to ask about security, electricity, employment, healthcare, education, transportation and the purchasing power of their wages.

They deserve to ask what your administration has achieved beyond announcements, projections, statistics and political slogans.

A campaign is not merely an opportunity to advertise achievements. It is also an opportunity for citizens to interrogate those achievements.

A PRESIDENT CANNOT EXPECT THE BENEFITS OF A PERSONAL MANDATE WHILE TREATING PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY AS OPTIONAL.

If members of your campaign team travel to a community, they can present your record. But can they feel the people’s pain on your behalf? Can they answer every question about your decisions? Can they explain every policy reversal? Can they make a personal commitment that only you have the authority to make?

And if the people reject the answers, who takes responsibility?

The President has said he will still address Nigerians directly, so let us be precise: the issue is not whether he must attend every single rally. The issue is whether the people will have sufficient opportunities to question him directly and judge his performance before voting.

A SECOND TERM IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT. IT IS A REQUEST FOR RENEWED TRUST.

Nigerians are not looking for a president who merely sends representatives to defend his record. They need a leader prepared to explain why the sacrifices demanded of ordinary citizens have not translated into relief they can feel in their daily lives.

The question is simple: if you are asking for another four years, why should the people not expect you to face their questions?

PART 2: Is this decision about prioritising governance—or does it expose a deeper problem of political accountability?

Let’s discuss this without tribal sentiment or party loyalty.

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