Supporters of President Bola Tinubu under the Tinubu Must Stay (TMS) group have responded to the “Tinubu must go” campaign by African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, highlighting economic and social interventions they say support continuity.

Atiku had ended his Independence Day address on Thursday with a repeated call for Tinubu to leave office, declaring: “Tinubu must go. Tinubu must go. Tinubu must go.”

In response, TMS said it was established by citizens who support continuity of the Tinubu administration and want to promote their position through facts, data and public engagement.

The group acknowledged that Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange reforms, had imposed substantial costs on households through higher living, transportation and energy expenses.

It, however, argued that the administration’s record should also be assessed through measurable outcomes, unresolved challenges and the longer-term objectives of its reforms.

On economic performance, TMS cited National Bureau of Statistics data showing that Nigeria’s real GDP grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 4.23 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2025 and 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026

The group also cited August headline inflation of 15.39 per cent, compared with 15.43 per cent in July, while stressing that the slower rate of inflation did not mean that prices had fallen.

TMS said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had reported that more than 1.5 million students benefited from the student-loan programme by June, with over ₦282 billion disbursed.

It also highlighted the 3 Million Technical Talent programme, saying more than 160,000 fellows had been trained across three cohorts, with about 1.87 million people registered in the programme’s wider pipeline.

On transportation, the group said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted to Compressed Natural Gas, supported by over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 refuelling stations.

TMS, however, acknowledged that the expansion of CNG infrastructure must translate into meaningful and widespread reductions in transportation costs for Nigerians.

On housing, the group said the Renewed Hope Housing Programme and Federal Housing Authority projects had delivered more than 10,000 housing units across the country, with more than 300,000 jobs projected or associated with the programme.

The group also acknowledged that statistics alone could not erase the hardship being experienced by Nigerians, saying government programmes should be assessed by their actual impact on citizens.

“TMS recognises that statistics do not erase hardship and that government programmes should be assessed not merely by announcements or expenditure, but by their actual impact on citizens,” the statement said.

The group said its position was not intended to deny Nigeria’s difficulties but to ensure that competing claims about the administration’s performance were tested against evidence.

TMS said it would continue to make its case “peacefully, factually and democratically”, while noting that Nigerians would ultimately determine the country’s political leadership through the electoral process.