Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, has noted that second-term presidents usually hit the campaign trail to make their case to voters, questioning why the situation is different with the incumbent.
Speaking on Arise News, Amadi also noted that President Tinubu had not been travelling to states, including those affected by tragedies, and did not move around freely.
He said he believed Tinubu could not match the campaign activities of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, candidate, Peter Obi, or even those of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate, Atiku Abubakar, whom he described as less active.
Amadi concluded that the President could still remedy the situation by participating in debates and speaking directly to the people, adding that this might compensate for his limited presence on the campaign trail.
He said: “There is no doubt about this president’s age and frailty; we’ve seen that happen before. Even in governance, he has not travelled across the country. He was on his way to Jos but cut the trip short because he couldn’t face the hostility of the road.
“So, clearly, this is a good strategy but bad governance. For example, just this week, the World Bank said we have the highest number of people living in extreme poverty. So, however you look at it, whether the APC, PDP or NDC, the fact is that this is a bad time in terms of economic outcomes.
“So, second-term presidents usually hit the road. They hit the road, make their case and give explanations. And this president, you know, has procured proxies. If you have those thirty-something governors, you’ve made good progress. So, practically, he withdraws.
“So, three things come out of it. In terms of strategy for the party, they cannot compete with what we expect to be the intensity of the NDC candidate and Atiku Abubakar. Again, Atiku Abubakar will probably be as less intense as Mr Peter Obi, judging by what they’ve done.
“So, each party will devise a strategy around the question, ‘How can we minimise our weakness?’ But an essential part of all this is the optics they present to the Nigerian people.
“That’s where the strategy might be a bad one because, if the opposition, as I suspect, drags this matter out, the question will be: ‘Can the President also turn up for television debates?’
“Because that doesn’t involve travelling around the country. So, if he can get involved in actively talking to voters and answering their concerns, that may compensate for his reduced presence on the campaign trail.”
