By The Politics Desk
The APC’s proposed second-term agenda retains several commitments from its 2023 manifesto, introducing new deadlines, recruitment figures and funding targets as Nigerians await tangible results from the administration’s ongoing reforms.
The real test: what happened to the 2023 promises?
Perhaps the most important question arising from the new manifesto is whether the APC has sufficiently delivered on its previous commitments to justify another set of ambitious targets.
The administration has highlighted several projects and interventions as evidence of progress.
In its May 2026 anniversary statement, the Presidency reported that more than 2,700 kilometres of highways and major roads were under construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation.
It also cited ongoing railway modernisation, agricultural interventions, expansion of housing projects and improvements in domestic refining capacity.
The government further reported that more than 10,000 housing units were being delivered through its Renewed Hope Housing Programme and the Federal Housing Authority.
These are official government claims and should be assessed against independently verified completion figures, actual utilisation and the benefits delivered to Nigerians.
A manifesto with ambitious numbers, but implementation remains the challenge
The APC’s 2027–2031 manifesto presents an ambitious programme built largely around policy directions already introduced in 2023.
While some proposals have been expanded with new figures, deadlines and financing arrangements, others retain virtually the same objectives as the previous manifesto.
The housing, electricity, agriculture, healthcare, youth employment and security commitments demonstrate a preference for policy continuity rather than a complete departure from the administration’s existing development agenda.
However, continuity alone does not guarantee success.
The critical issues will be the availability of funding, institutional capacity, coordination between federal and state governments, transparency in public spending and the ability to meet deadlines.
There is also the question of whether Nigerians will experience measurable improvements in their daily lives before the end of another four-year term.
For millions of households, the most immediate concerns remain affordable food, stable electricity, accessible healthcare, decent housing, employment opportunities and personal security.
The APC is asking Nigerians to support another four years to consolidate its reforms and complete its development agenda.
But as the 2027 election approaches, the electorate will have more than campaign promises to consider. It will also have the administration’s record since 2023.
Ultimately, the success of Renewed Hope Agenda 2.0 will not be determined by the number of promises in its 2027 manifesto, but by how many Nigerians can actually see, experience and benefit from their implementation.
APC promises continuity, but with bigger numbers
The manifesto, unveiled in Abuja on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, outlines the APC’s proposed programme for 2027–2031, should Tinubu win re-election.
According to reports, the document consolidates the administration’s original eight-point Renewed Hope Agenda into four strategic pillars:
▪︎ Secure and Resilient Nation.
▪︎ Better Quality and More Affordable Life for Every Nigerian.
▪︎ Energy, Infrastructure and Economic Growth.
▪︎ Effective and Accountable Governance.
The party has outlined at least 35 major commitments, covering security, housing, electricity, agriculture, healthcare, education, employment, industrialisation and public-sector reforms.
A major feature of the new manifesto is its emphasis on measurable targets, including six per cent annual economic growth, 200,000 affordable homes, 10,000 megawatts of electricity generation and the creation of one million export-related jobs by 2030.
However, the similarities between the new proposals and the APC’s 2023 campaign promises raise questions about how much of the previous agenda has been implemented and whether the fresh targets will produce better results.
Housing, agriculture and electricity: familiar commitments, expanded targets
On housing, the APC is proposing to construct 200 homes in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, alongside a broader target of delivering 200,000 housing units during the next administration.
The party also plans to increase the capitalisation of the Mortgage Refinance and Investment Fund towards ₦1 trillion, introduce 20-year fixed-rate mortgages and raise the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria’s loan ceiling from ₦50 million to ₦85 million.
The housing proposal comes against the background of existing government initiatives.
In his May 29, 2026, anniversary address, Tinubu said the Renewed Hope Housing Programme and the Federal Housing Authority were delivering more than 10,000 housing units across 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He also claimed that the projects had generated more than 300,000 jobs.
The new target therefore represents an expansion of an existing programme rather than an entirely new policy direction.
Agriculture also remains central to the APC’s economic plans.
The new manifesto proposes stronger strategic grain reserves, monthly food-price monitoring, improved storage facilities, farm-to-market roads and expanded agro-processing.
These measures are intended to improve food availability, reduce post-harvest losses and address the high cost of food.
The party’s renewed emphasis on food security comes as households continue to face pressure from food prices and the wider cost of living.
On electricity, the APC is targeting available generation of up to 10,000 megawatts, improved transmission and distribution infrastructure, expanded metering and greater access to renewable energy.
It also wants to strengthen gas-to-power projects and provide dedicated electricity to industrial clusters.
These commitments echo the 2023 manifesto, which also prioritised improvements across the electricity value chain.
Economic reforms take centre stage as APC seeks another mandate
The new manifesto is also an attempt to defend the economic direction pursued by Tinubu since assuming office in May 2023.
His administration removed the petrol subsidy and unified the foreign exchange market, describing the decisions as necessary to address structural weaknesses in the Nigerian economy.
However, the reforms triggered significant economic difficulties, including increased transportation costs and pressure on household purchasing power.
At the manifesto unveiling, Presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila acknowledged that many Nigerians were yet to experience the benefits of the reforms.
Gbajabiamila admitted that the policy decisions had placed considerable pressure on households, insisting that the next phase must translate economic stabilisation into shared prosperity.
The APC is now projecting annual economic growth of six per cent, alongside a more than doubling of non-oil export earnings.
It also targets manufacturing growth, industrial clusters across the six geopolitical zones and one million export-linked jobs for young Nigerians.
The party’s argument is that economic reforms have created a foundation for growth, but the next administration must focus more directly on improving living standards.
Youth employment and education: millions targeted
Youth unemployment remains another major component of the proposed second-term agenda.
The APC plans to halve youth unemployment by 2031, train two million young Nigerians and expand digital literacy programmes to 30 million people.
It also proposes strengthening financing opportunities through the NEXTGEN Bank, Nigeria Youth Investment Fund and a proposed Youth Bank.
In education, the manifesto promises to halve the number of out-of-school children by 2031 and recruit an additional 20,000 teachers.
These proposals build on the administration’s existing education financing initiatives.
Tinubu said in his May 2026 anniversary address that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had provided more than 1.5 million students with access to higher education, with over ₦282 billion disbursed.
The new manifesto, however, raises a question about whether expanding access to loans and training opportunities will translate into sufficient employment opportunities for graduates and other young Nigerians.
Healthcare: 40 per cent insurance coverage target pushed to 2031
Healthcare is another area where the APC has retained an earlier commitment while extending its timeline.
Both the 2023 and 2027 manifestos promise to achieve at least 40 per cent health insurance coverage among Nigerians.
However, the latest document sets 2031 as the target year, rather than the shorter deadline contained in the earlier manifesto.
The party also proposes:
▪︎Increasing functional primary healthcare centres from 53 per cent to 90 per cent.
▪︎Reducing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure from 71 per cent to below 50 per cent.
▪︎Achieving 50 per cent local production of essential medicines by 2031.
The emphasis on local pharmaceutical production is particularly significant given Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials.
Achieving the targets would require sustained investment in healthcare infrastructure, medical personnel, insurance financing and domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Security: 108,150 additional personnel proposed
Security features prominently in the new manifesto, with the APC proposing a significant expansion of the country’s security workforce.
The party plans to recruit:
▪︎28,000 additional military personnel.
▪︎50,000 police officers.
▪︎30,150 Civil Defence personnel.
The proposals amount to 108,150 additional personnel across the three security services.
The manifesto also proposes establishing four additional Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City.
Other measures include introducing body cameras and digital policing systems, establishing a legal framework for state and community policing, deploying Forest Guards and Agro-Rangers, and expanding electronic surveillance of national borders.
The commitments come against the background of persistent security challenges involving terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and attacks on farming communities.
The administration has repeatedly promised to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance and operational capacity.
In his May 2026 anniversary address, Tinubu acknowledged that security challenges remained, although he maintained that government operations were improving safety in some communities and along major highways.
The new recruitment figures represent a more specific commitment than the general security-strengthening promises contained in the 2023 manifesto.
Social welfare and women’s empowerment
The APC is also retaining its social protection agenda, including direct cash transfers and the national school feeding programme.
Under the new proposal, the government intends to verify at least 20 million people in the National Social Register by 2030 and expand direct cash transfers to vulnerable households.
A major component is the proposed $1 billion HOPE-SP programme, which is expected to provide emergency cash transfers to 7.6 million vulnerable households.
The manifesto also proposes expanding financial support for women-owned businesses and maintaining the commitment to at least 35 per cent women’s representation in government.
The cash transfer proposal is particularly important because the removal of petrol subsidies and the wider economic reforms have increased the demand for social protection among low-income households.
However, the effectiveness of such interventions will depend on transparent beneficiary selection, reliable payment systems and measures to prevent diversion of public funds.
Governance: APC promises public performance tracker
One of the notable additions to the new manifesto is its emphasis on accountability and monitoring.
The party says every major commitment will have a baseline, a measurable target, an estimated cost, a responsible government official and a reporting date.
It also promises to introduce public dashboards through which citizens can monitor implementation.
The APC has outlined four principles for delivering its proposed programmes:
▪︎Recover public resources and reduce financial leakages before relying on additional borrowing and taxation.
▪︎Complete existing projects before embarking on new ones.
▪︎Attach measurable targets, costs and deadlines to government commitments.
▪︎Allow citizens to monitor implementation through publicly accessible performance reports.
The manifesto also promises to publish allocations to all 774 local government councils, strengthen local government autonomy and expand digital public services.
In the judiciary, the party plans to expand electronic filing and case management, reduce unnecessary adjournments and improve access to legal aid.
These proposals are significant because Nigeria’s development challenges have often been associated not only with policy formulation but also with weak implementation, poor monitoring and accountability gaps.