ABUJA, Nigeria — A top chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a stark warning that persistent misinformation, political intolerance, and a severe lack of public awareness about federal programmes could undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s progressive governance agenda. Speaking over the weekend in Abuja at the inauguration of state coordinators for the Tinubu/Shettima Grassroots Canvassers—an initiative of the Concerned National APC Stakeholders Forum—Dr. Femi Alabi insisted that the administration’s achievements risk being overshadowed by socio-economic pressures and weak strategic communication. The event, held under the theme “Engendering Progressive Governance: The Role of Citizens,” brought together party loyalists, grassroots mobilisers, and sub-national leaders tasked with carrying the government’s message to the local level. Alabi, who addressed the audience as a key APC figure, expressed concern that the gap between policy delivery and public perception has become a dangerous vulnerability at a time when many Nigerians are grappling with the impact of sweeping economic reforms.
Alabi framed the discourse by outlining what genuine progressive governance demands: accountability, economic expansion, infrastructure development, and respect for the rule of law. He argued that no government can succeed unless citizens understand and appreciate the policies designed for their benefit. He noted that the Tinubu administration has introduced major reform programmes aimed at resetting the economy and improving long-term productivity, but the absence of an effective communication architecture has allowed opponents and sceptics to dominate the narrative. The APC chieftain warned that communication gaps are not merely a public relations issue; they are a structural threat to governance itself. If citizens do not understand the rationale behind key initiatives, he said, the political space becomes fertile ground for rumour, cynicism, and division. Alabi stressed that the administration must therefore treat public enlightenment as a governance imperative, not an afterthought. His remarks come amid persistent national debates over subsidy removal, foreign-exchange adjustments, and other policy shifts that have tested the patience of ordinary Nigerians, especially those at the lower rungs of the income ladder.
The APC chieftain enumerated several specific threats that could sabotage the government’s progress. He cited misinformation, political intolerance, youth unemployment, weak civic participation, and inadequate public awareness of government programmes as the most dangerous factors. “Misinformation, political intolerance, youth unemployment, weak civic participation, and inadequate public awareness of government programmes are capable of undermining these efforts,” Alabi declared. He explained that misinformation distorts the public’s understanding of policies and breeds unnecessary antagonism, while political intolerance stifles constructive debate and pushes citizens toward apathy or extremism. Youth unemployment, he conceded, not only causes economic distress but also erodes faith in democratic institutions, making young people vulnerable to manipulation. Weak civic participation weakens the social contract, because citizens who feel excluded from governance become disengaged and uncooperative. Meanwhile, inadequate public awareness means that even successful policies fail to earn the political credit they deserve. Alabi warned that if these issues are left unaddressed, the government could find itself fighting an uphill battle against a tide of public resentment, regardless of the technical merits of its programmes. He called for a deliberate, sustained effort to improve information dissemination and to create channels through which citizens can ask questions, raise grievances, and receive accurate updates.
Beyond warning about the dangers, Alabi issued a direct call to citizens to abandon passive political engagement and take ownership of the democratic process. He argued that democracy cannot function effectively when the people simply wait for the state to deliver without actively participating in the conversation. The inauguration of the Tinubu/Shettima Grassroots Canvassers, he said, is designed to bridge the gap between policy formulation at the federal level and the daily realities of ordinary Nigerians. He charged the newly appointed coordinators to view themselves as ethical intermediaries, not partisan enforcers. “Grassroots mobilization must be conducted with integrity, discipline, respect for divergent opinions, and commitment to lawful democratic engagement,” Alabi added. This statement was widely interpreted as a rebuke of the hostility and misinformation often associated with political campaigns. Alabi affirmed that canvassers must earn trust through honesty, avoid manipulation, and respect the right of citizens to disagree. He stressed that their mission is not to coerce or deceive, but to educate and mobilize support through facts, empathy, and service. He also emphasised the need for deeper collaboration among government agencies, civil society organizations, and local communities, saying that no single institution can overcome the communication deficit alone.
Echoing Alabi’s remarks, the National Coordinator of the Concerned National APC Stakeholders Forum, Dr. Dominic Alancha, gave the state coordinators their operational marching orders. He instructed them to immediately take the administration’s performance report to local communities as early alignments for the 2027 general elections begin to take shape. Alancha made it clear that the forum is not waiting until the election season to begin explaining what the government has done. He urged the sub-national leaders to move quickly, going from ward to ward and village to village with a clear, factual account of the achievements and ongoing projects of the Tinubu administration. The instruction signals a strategic shift by the APC’s grassroots support apparatus to shift from defensive messaging to proactive storytelling. By arming canvassers with performance data, the party hopes to counter the growing wave of disinformation and present a compelling case for continuity. Alancha’s reference to 2027 was significant, as it acknowledged that political battles are won long before ballots are cast. He indicated that the groundwork being laid now, through community engagement and relationship-building, would determine the party’s ability to retain the presidency and expand its influence in the electorate.
The overarching message from the Abuja event was clear: governance is not only about policy design and implementation; it is also about perception, communication, and public trust. Alabi and Alancha both insisted that the progressive agenda of the Tinubu administration can only be secured if the people are carried along. In an era of social media rumours, political polarisation, and economic anxiety, the APC chieftain argued that silence or arrogance on the part of public officials would be catastrophic. The newly inaugurated canvassers will now serve as the human bridge between the federal government and local communities, tasked with explaining reforms, responding to concerns, and demonstrating the tangible benefits of federal programmes. Their work, if carried out with the integrity described by Alabi, could help rebuild the social contract between the state and the governed. But the challenge is enormous. With the 2027 elections already being anticipated by political actors across the spectrum, the margin for error is thin. The forum believes that a well-informed citizenry is more likely to support reform, endure temporary hardship for long-term gain, and reject reckless narratives that threaten national stability. Ultimately, the event underscored a central truth of Nigerian politics: the success of an administration depends as much on its achievements as on its ability to communicate them effectively to ordinary citizens. Whether the Tinubu/Shettima Grassroots Canvassers can deliver on that promise remains to be seen, but for now, the party is betting that grassroots education and ethical mobilization will prove decisive in securing the future of progressive governance.