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President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign appears to have kicked off with the circulation of plantain chips and sachets branded with his image and the slogan “Door 2 Door, Jagaban for 2027.”
A video shared on X by user on July 2, 2025, shows a large jar and multiple sachets of plantain chips featuring Tinubu’s picture, alongside a man, reportedly the factory owner, clarifying he is merely a contractor fulfilling a branding order and not campaigning for the president.
The video has ignited a firestorm of reactions online, with Nigerians expressing outrage, skepticism, and concern over what many perceive as premature and tone-deaf campaign tactics in a country grappling with severe economic hardship and insecurity.
The timing of the alleged campaign has drawn sharp criticism, as Nigeria faces a deepening hunger crisis, with over 133 million people living in multidimensional poverty and food inflation exceeding 40%. Posts on X reflect public frustration, with users like
@VayPor116
calling it a “shame” for a sitting president to campaign so early, and @felixherbt
warning against being “deceived again” by gimmicks like plantain chips. Others, such as
@DonyiboOyibo
, accused the campaign of exploiting widespread hunger, while @AkinOkeni01
dismissed the gesture, noting that a jar of chips worth roughly ₦5,000 cannot address the needs of citizens over four years.This is not the first instance of Tinubu’s supporters using plantain chips for campaign branding. In 2022, ahead of the 2023 presidential election, similar branded chips surfaced, as reported by Naija Live TV and Nairaland, indicating a recurring strategy.
The current campaign move comes despite Tinubu’s April 2025 directive to halt unauthorized 2027 campaign materials, such as billboards in Abuja and Kano, which violated Nigeria’s electoral laws prohibiting campaigns before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sets an official timetable.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga had emphasized that Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima did not endorse such actions, calling for their immediate cessation.Critics argue the plantain chip campaign, if linked to Tinubu’s team, underscores a disconnect with Nigeria’s realities, where insecurity, including the recent attack in Anambra that killed 10 Ebonyi indigenes, and economic woes dominate public discourse. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), while focused on Nnamdi Kanu’s trial, has highlighted regional insecurity, though no direct link ties them to the Anambra incident.
Opposition voices, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have condemned early campaigning, with PDP’s Timothy Osadolor and NNPP’s Ladipo Johnson asserting that Nigerians’ hardships will drive electoral decisions in 2027, not campaign gimmicks.
The plantain chip strategy has also drawn comparisons to broader concerns about political propaganda. West Africa Weekly reported government-sponsored media manipulations to promote Tinubu’s image, including billboards and documentaries, while citizens face starvation and insecurity. The campaign’s focus on branding over substantive relief has been likened to “putting perfume on a corpse,” with many questioning its ethics amid Nigeria’s crises.
As reactions continue to pour in, with
@Sir_desmond01
questioning the judgment of voters swayed by such tactics, the plantain chip campaign has become a symbol of Nigeria’s polarized political landscape. Whether this move is an official campaign effort or the work of overzealous supporters remains unclear, but it has intensified calls for accountability and focus on addressing the nation’s pressing challenges.