Mr. President, I Cannot Campaign for You Again – Not Anti-Party, Just Honest

By Preye V. Tambou

As an APC faithful and an ordinary Nigerian, I must speak from the deepest part of my heart.

The question I keep asking is: who are all these celebrated achievements really helping? The reality on the streets tells a different story. The country is hard. Hunger is widespread. Suffering is everywhere. Many Nigerians have lost hope.

This is why I can no longer confidently campaign or publicly defend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration the way I once did. I am ashamed, disappointed, and, like many others, I am afraid to speak openly because we do not want to be labelled anti-party, misunderstood, denied opportunities, or treated as enemies for expressing genuine concerns.

During the 2023 elections, some of us endured insults, ridicule, threats, and even physical attacks because we believed in and campaigned passionately for this government. We defended it with everything we had. Today, many of us are silently carrying deep pain and frustration. We are suffering and smiling. We are weeping in silence while pretending that all is well.

The truth is, many party faithful are merely enduring. We have doubled and even tripled our hustles, yet there is little to show for our efforts. Life continues to get harder. The cost of living keeps rising. The ordinary citizen is struggling to survive.

I am not accustomed to the kind of politics where black is called white simply because of party loyalty or personal interest. I am not used to political opportunism where people move from one party to another solely for personal gain while the welfare of the people remains secondary. Principles still matter to some of us.

What pains me most is seeing Nigerians cry out for help every day. I see messages from people begging for jobs. I receive calls and messages from fathers, mothers, and young people who can barely feed their families. My dm is full. Many are genuinely desperate. Sadly, I am facing the same economic realities and often lack the means to help them.

Those occupying public offices and positions of responsibility, who should be making life easier for the people, are in many cases making things worse. Their actions and inactions are hurting both the people and the government they claim to serve. Even State governments benefiting from increased revenues following subsidy removal have not done enough to significantly ease the burden on citizens.

I say this with every sense of responsibility and honesty: the level of hardship Nigerians are experiencing today is frightening. The struggle is real, both personally and collectively. Many of us invested our trust, reputation, energy, and political capital in a government we believed would deliver meaningful relief and renewed hope. Today, that hope appears distant.

I cannot lie to myself or others. I do not currently see the renewed hope that was promised. I do not see enough evidence that the ordinary Nigerian is feeling the impact of the achievements being advertised. If I eventually see genuine improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens, I will gladly support and campaign again but for now, I cannot in good conscience pretend that all is well.

For now, I am ashamed, disappointed and above all, I am deeply concerned about the future of our country.

There is another truth I must confess. At this moment, asking me to campaign for President Tinubu’s re-election feels like asking me to ignore the daily realities confronting ordinary Nigerians. It feels like asking me to celebrate while millions are struggling to survive. It feels like asking me to speak of hope to people who can barely afford food, transportation, school fees, rent, and basic healthcare.

In all honesty, campaigning for this administration at this stage would feel, to me, like pouring salt into the wounds of suffering Nigerians. How do I go to the market and tell traders that all is well? How do I convince unemployed youths that better days are here when many cannot find meaningful opportunities? How do I ask struggling families to be patient when their patience has already been stretched beyond reasonable limits?

What troubles me most is that many of us who genuinely supported this government are not speaking as freely as we should. Some remain silent because they do not want to be misunderstood. Some fear being labelled anti-party. Some hold on to the hope that things will improve. Others simply do not want to be seen as disloyal after investing so much political energy and personal credibility in defending this government.

You see, to me, loyalty should never require silence in the face of hardship. True loyalty demands honesty. Genuine support should include the courage to speak when things are not working as expected.

My intention is not to attack the President, destroy the party, or discourage those who still believe strongly in this administration. My intention is simply to tell the truth as I see it. A government succeeds not when its supporters praise it endlessly, but when it listens to the cries of the people and responds with urgency, compassion, and results.

I want this government to succeed because when government succeeds, the people succeed but success cannot be measured only by statistics, policy announcements, promises of hope, or infrastructure projects. Success must be measured by the condition of the ordinary citizen. It must be reflected in the lives of the unemployed graduate, struggling trader, civil servant, farmer, artisan, and the young family trying to survive from one month to the next.

That is why my conscience will not allow me to campaign at this moment. Not because I have become anti-party. Not because I have joined the opposition. Not because I wish failure on the government. Rather, it is because I cannot ignore the pain around me, and I cannot ask others to ignore it either.

The day I begin to see genuine relief in the lives of ordinary Nigerians, the day hope becomes visible beyond political speeches and official statements, I will gladly lend my voice once again. Until then, honesty compels me to speak, and conscience compels me to remain silent on any campaign for re-election.