A video circulating online from Yobe State shows a crowd pulling down a large campaign banner featuring President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress candidates, as political tensions rise ahead of the 2027 elections.
The banner featured Tinubu alongside Mai Mala Buni, listed as a senatorial candidate, and Baba Malam Wali, listed as a gubernatorial candidate. In the video, people in traditional clothing and everyday dress can be seen gathering around the banner in a dusty open area near parked buses and trucks.
Several people pull at the banner and its supporting poles until the display bends, sags and tears. Hausa words heard in the video appeal to God to bring an end to Tinubu’s rule.
The footage has added to an increasingly heated political debate over public opinion toward the federal government, particularly as Nigerians continue to face pressure from rising food, transport and household costs.
The African Democratic Congress has cited a nationwide telephone survey conducted by Eagle Badger Data Analytics as evidence of growing dissatisfaction with the president. According to the figures cited by the party, Tinubu’s approval rating stood at 30.2 percent, while 47.5 percent of respondents said they disapproved of his performance.
The same survey reported that 62 percent of respondents believed they were worse off than they were in May 2023, when Tinubu assumed office. Only 23.3 percent said their situation had improved.
Among respondents who described themselves as much worse off, the reported disapproval rate rose above 73 percent.
The survey also pointed to the continuing pressure on household finances. It reported that food prices had increased by more than 90 percent since May 2023, while the overall price level had risen by about 80 percent.
For many households, the impact has been felt in everyday purchases. Food has become more expensive, transport costs have risen and small businesses have faced higher operating expenses. Unemployment and insecurity also remain major concerns in different parts of the country.
The reported approval figures differed sharply across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The North East recorded the highest approval figure at 39.2 percent, followed by the South West and North West at 37 percent each. North Central recorded 30.3 percent.
Approval was lower in the South East, where the reported figure was 16.5 percent, and the South South, where it stood at 13.5 percent.
According to the figures cited, disapproval exceeded approval in every geopolitical zone, including the South West.
Another political tracker published by SBM Intelligence in September reported different levels of support among political parties. The tracker put support for the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress at 42.2 percent, compared with 25.5 percent for the APC.
The tracker also found differences between urban and rural voters, with stronger opposition support reported among urban respondents, while rural and small town voters showed greater support for the ruling party.
Peter Obi was reported to have the strongest personal favourability rating in the tracker, while Tinubu’s net favourability remained negative despite an improvement compared with earlier figures recorded during the year.
The same research reported that 67.4 percent of respondents supported bringing back the petrol subsidy, highlighting the continuing importance of fuel prices and household expenses in the political debate.
The 2027 presidential election is still ahead, and the video from Yobe cannot by itself establish the views of Nigerians nationwide. Similarly, opinion polls measure the views of their sampled respondents and do not constitute election results.
The combination of the viral footage, reported polling figures and continuing complaints about the cost of living has nevertheless intensified debate over the political mood in the country.
Opposition groups have pointed to the developments as evidence of growing dissatisfaction with the APC government, while the ruling party continues its political preparations ahead of the next general election.
Campaign banners and political posters remain visible across Nigerian towns and cities as parties position themselves for 2027. With household costs remaining a central concern, the political battle is increasingly being fought not only through party structures but also over how Nigerians judge the impact of government policies on their daily lives.
The Yobe footage has now become another flashpoint in that wider debate, but the extent of nationwide support or opposition to Tinubu and the APC will ultimately be determined by broader evidence and, eventually, the votes cast at the 2027 elections.
