President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerian youths to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate in the 2027 general elections, saying the outcome of the poll will have a significant impact on their future.
Tinubu made the appeal on Saturday at the Rainbow Coalition presidential campaign rally held at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Addressing young Nigerians at the gathering, the President said the election should not be viewed as a contest centred on his personal ambition but as an opportunity for them to determine the country’s leadership and direction.
“To the youth of Nigeria, I’m looking at you. This election is about you. It’s not about me. Your future depends on this election,” he said.
He encouraged eligible voters who had yet to collect their PVCs to do so, describing the voter card as an important instrument for influencing political leadership through the ballot.
“It is left for you to use the weapon you have. And that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it. Please. I beg you. I take God beg you,” Tinubu added.
The President also described economic development as a tool for tackling poverty, saying his administration was working to improve the economy and ensure that more Nigerians benefited from national prosperity.
He claimed that previous administrations had left behind billions and trillions of naira in unpaid pensions and gratuities, which his government was working to clear.
“The people that governed before, they left unpaid pensions and gratuity in billions and trillions of naira. That is being cleared. So that every family is included. We are sharing prosperity already,” he said.
Tinubu cited retired professionals, including engineers, welders and teachers, as beneficiaries of the payments.
He said retired workers were currently receiving their outstanding entitlements under the ongoing payments.
The President also thanked residents of Rivers State for their support and interaction with him during the rally.
The event was organised by the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance led by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The coalition brings together politicians and supporters from different political parties, including members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It had earlier endorsed Tinubu for a second term and unveiled its preferred candidates for various elective positions in Rivers State.
Tinubu’s appearance at the Port Harcourt rally forms part of his political engagements ahead of the 2027 general elections. He had earlier launched his re-election campaign in Kaduna State on October 24.
His appeal to young Nigerians comes as political parties and their supporters intensify efforts to mobilise voters ahead of the next presidential election.
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