PBAT Door-to-Door Movement Holds Kano Rally, Strengthens APC Ties Ahead of 2027

The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement 2027 has intensified its grassroots mobilisation in Kano State with a solidarity rally and a courtesy visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, as support groups across the country ramp up campaign activities following the lifting of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ban on political campaigns.

The movement’s leadership, led by its North-West Zonal Coordinator, MD Muktar Katsina, visited the APC secretariat along Audu Bako Way, Kano, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots support ahead of the 2027 general elections. The delegation, which included other state coordinators, also staged a solidarity rally in the state, engaging supporters and members of the public as part of its wider mobilisation campaign.

Receiving the delegation on behalf of the APC Kano State Chairman, Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa, the party’s State Organising Secretary, Dr Kabiru Usaini Zawachiki, welcomed the movement and praised its commitment to grassroots engagement. According to a statement issued by the Office of the APC State Organising Secretary and signed by Yusuf Yahuza, Zawachiki said the visit underscored the need for stronger collaboration between the party and its support groups ahead of the 2027 elections. “The APC Kano welcomes the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement 2027 and appreciates its commitment to grassroots mobilisation and engagement,” he said. Zawachiki stressed that sustained interaction with citizens remained critical to expanding the party’s support base and promoting the Renewed Hope Agenda at the grassroots.

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PBAT Door-to-Door Movement Holds Kano Rally, Strengthens APC Ties Ahead of 2027

The Kano rally was part of a broader nationwide campaign launch by the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, with rallies held simultaneously in Lagos, Enugu, Lokoja, Kano, Yola, Bayelsa, Kaduna and Abuja. The mobilisation comes as the official campaign window for the 2027 presidential election opened on August 19, with various support groups beginning intensive grassroots engagement across the country.

In Abuja, the National Coordinator of the Movement, Comrade Sunday Adekanbi Asuku, called on Nigerians, particularly youths, to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Speaking at the Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja, following a solidarity walk from the National Assembly gates, Asuku cited improvements in the macro-economy, the administration’s efforts in the fight against terrorism, and youth empowerment initiatives, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), as reasons Nigerians should support Tinubu for a second term. “For us, our first, second, and third choice is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is because, for the very first time in the history of our democracy, we are having the right person moving the country in the right direction,” Asuku said. He acknowledged the economic difficulties facing Nigerians but attributed them to decades of mismanagement, arguing that the challenges could not be resolved within four years. “The years of decadence cannot be fixed in just four years. But I want to assure you all that with the right man like President Tinubu at the helm of affairs, Nigeria is in safe hands,” he said. Asuku expressed confidence that the administration’s reforms would begin to produce more visible results from 2027, urging Nigerians not to abandon what he described as the Renewed Hope reform agenda. He also criticised opposition politicians, describing them as “recycled politicians” who, according to him, had little to offer the country. He challenged opposition leaders to account for their records while occupying public offices, including as ministers, vice presidents and state governors.

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In the South-West, the movement announced a 3,000-man Posterity Walk scheduled to take place at the Lagos Television premises in Agidingbi, Ikeja, as part of its grassroots mobilisation for Tinubu’s second term. The movement’s Zonal Secretary, Awoyinfa Opeoluwa, said the event was intended to demonstrate the group’s support for the President while mobilising voters across the region. “The Posterity Walk symbolises our unity and determination to support a leader who has consistently prioritised the welfare and development of our nation. Together, we will march in solidarity, showcasing our unwavering belief in President Tinubu’s ability to lead Nigeria into a prosperous future,” the group said.

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, officially flagged off the South-South chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement at Oxbow Lake, Yenagoa. Diri called on politicians to make their campaigns for the 2027 general elections issue-based and respect opponents with divergent political views. The governor urged members of the movement to emulate what he described as Tinubu’s democratic disposition by being persuasive rather than combative in their political engagements. He expressed optimism that the South-South zone and Nigerians would vote for Tinubu for a second term, saying the President deserved another term to consolidate what he described as the achievements of his administration. “I charge the leadership of the PBAT Movement to be inclusive and persuasive in your engagements. Let our campaigns be issue-based,” Diri said.

The rally comes amid significant political developments in Kano State, where Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa recently emerged as the new Chairman of the APC in the state. Doguwa, a former Commissioner of Water Resources in Governor Abba Yusuf’s cabinet, was elected during the party’s state congress in March 2026 and vowed to ensure the party’s victory in the 2027 general elections. The visit and rally also reflected increasing coordination between the APC and its support groups, with emphasis on unity, grassroots mobilisation and continuous engagement with the electorate as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum. The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement’s North-West Coordinator said the group is committed to providing robust grassroots mobilisation, deepening direct household engagement, and building sustained community support across Kano State to ensure the success of the APC.

Atiku Vows to Restore Fuel Subsidy If Elected in 2027

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to restore the fuel subsidy regime if elected president in the 2027 general elections, arguing that the funds saved from its removal have not been used to improve the lives of Nigerians. The promise places the subsidy question firmly at the centre of the upcoming political contest as opposition candidates increasingly present alternative approaches to the economic reforms introduced under President Bola Tinubu. Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the pledge while speaking with journalists on Wednesday, where he accused the Federal Government of failing to channel proceeds from the subsidy removal into critical sectors such as education, security and poverty reduction. According to the former vice-president, he was not opposed to the removal of fuel subsidy in principle, but questioned how the savings from the policy had been utilised.

“I didn’t oppose the removal of subsidy. But where is the money? The money gotten should have been used to tackle poverty, out-of-school children and other things,” Atiku said. He maintained that the decision to remove the subsidy was expected to free up resources for development but alleged that the expected benefits had not reached ordinary Nigerians. “Where is the money? They stole it. I will return fuel subsidy. The big thing was that they removed the subsidy, but where is the money? Even if I removed the subsidy, I would still work,” he said. The former vice-president also claimed that some former leaders of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had recently approached him and admitted that they now agreed with his earlier position on the subsidy issue. According to him, five past leaders of the NNPC contacted him last week to express a change of position. “Something happened last week. Five past leaders of NNPC called me and said, ‘We didn’t agree when you sketched your plan, but now we agree.’ They said they made a mistake, not me. Until you have power, those things cannot be done,” Atiku said.

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The Federal Government has responded to criticisms by providing a detailed breakdown of the economic reforms. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed on Wednesday that the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market generated approximately ₦15.8 trillion in savings for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025. He presented these figures at the government’s “Nigeria’s Reform Scorecard” briefing in Abuja. Oyedele explained that the savings were shared among the three tiers of government: the Federal Government received ₦5.43 trillion, state governments received ₦6.52 trillion, and local government councils received ₦3.88 trillion. However, he stressed that the reforms did not leave the government with a large pool of cash, as commonly believed. Rather, the savings primarily eased fiscal pressure and reduced the amount the government would otherwise have needed to borrow. “The figures tell a financing story, not simply a savings story,” Oyedele said. The minister highlighted that the Federal Government spent ₦9.39 trillion on wage adjustments, minimum wage increases and allowances for public servants during the period, which exceeded its share of the subsidy savings. An additional ₦9.37 trillion was spent on servicing external debt, reflecting the higher naira cost of meeting foreign currency obligations following exchange rate depreciation, while ₦6.47 trillion was invested in strategic infrastructure and ₦3.14 trillion was spent on electricity subsidy to cushion consumers from higher tariffs.

Oyedele also argued that the removal of the petrol subsidy was necessary to create a viable market for private refining investment, specifically linking the survival of the Dangote Refinery to the policy change. He stated that the plant could not have been commercially viable if petrol had remained at the heavily subsidised price of less than N200 per litre. “Remember, we’re importing refined products. That is to say the Dangote refinery wouldn’t have been able to start because you can’t sell at N200 per litre and queue up for the government to pay the balance of over N1,000 per litre,” Oyedele explained. The minister further argued that without the reforms, petrol would have been officially priced at N185 per litre but would likely have been unavailable at that price, forcing consumers to buy from the black market at approximately N3,000 per litre. The Dangote Refinery commenced petrol sales in September 2024 when petrol was trading around N500 per litre, and as the refinery started production, the government removed the implicit subsidy, raising pump prices above N1,000.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also addressed the reforms, stating that savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy are being redirected towards economic renewal, infrastructure development and improved public welfare. He acknowledged that the subsidy removal had imposed significant sacrifices on Nigerians but stressed that citizens deserved to know how resources freed by the reform were being utilised. “This is fundamentally about transparency and accountability. The conversation around subsidy removal should not end with the policy decision. Nigerians deserve to know what the reform has achieved, the resources that have accrued from it and how those resources are supporting economic renewal, infrastructure development and public welfare,” Idris said. Oyedele further noted that the reforms had helped stabilise the fiscal space, enabling states to meet their salary obligations, whereas 27 states were unable to reliably pay salaries in May 2023. He also highlighted that headline inflation fell to 15.91 per cent in June 2026 from 22.41 per cent in May 2023, while food inflation dropped from 24.82 per cent to 17.52 per cent. Gross foreign reserves rose to $52.5 billion** from approximately **$35 billion at the start of the reform period.

The removal of the petrol subsidy has had profound effects on ordinary Nigerians. Since the policy took effect in May 2023, fuel prices increased from around ₦190 to over ₦950 per litre, causing long queues and more than doubling transport costs in many states. With transportation costs soaring, the prices of basic goods have followed suit, pushing more Nigerians below the poverty line and eroding the middle class. Small businesses have been particularly hard hit, with many reporting a sharp decline in customers as transport fares surged and disposable income shrank. In Kano, plastic manufacturer Muhammad Khamis Umar told Reuters that more than 80% of his customers had stopped coming since the subsidy removal. Daily sales fell from a high of 1 million naira to 50,000 naira, and he has cut production to 40% capacity. Hair stylist Tina Doofan Orji in Abuja raised her prices by more than half to cover higher petrol costs for her generator, but customers refused to pay, telling her they were prioritising food and school fees.

Atiku’s latest promise represents a significant reversal from his position during the 2023 presidential campaign, when he indicated support for subsidy removal. The former vice-president has now stated that developments since then had changed his position. “I initially did not oppose the removal of the fuel subsidy. But now that it has been removed, where is the money? Where has the subsidy money gone? Has it been used to improve healthcare, education or security?” he asked. The presidency could not immediately be reached for comment on Atiku’s allegation that funds saved from the removal of fuel subsidy had been stolen. President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy shortly after assuming office in May 2023, a decision that triggered a sharp increase in fuel prices and the cost of living across the country. The policy has remained one of the most debated economic decisions of his administration, and Atiku’s pledge places the subsidy question firmly at the centre of the 2027 political contest. The gap between government economic arguments and household realities could become one of the defining issues of the election. As one analyst noted, “People don’t vote for GDP growth; they vote based on what they can feel in their own lives.” For many Nigerians, the economic pain has been tangible, and the debate over whether subsidy savings have translated into tangible benefits is likely to dominate the campaign trail.