If the President' governance style has placed enormous resources at your disposal, the least you can do is prove it by delivering your state in 2027.

That was the unmistakable message from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at Wednesday’s inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council. President Bola Tinubu reinforced the message with a simple but powerful declaration: We can only say thank you when you have delivered your state.

This is not merely a campaign instruction. It is a test of leadership, loyalty and political relevance.

Wike was unequivocal: titles do not win elections. Being a national chairman, secretary, governor or member of the Presidential Campaign Council means little if the President cannot count on your state at the ballot box. Even if Tinubu wins nationally, a campaign official who fails to deliver his or her state cannot honestly claim to have contributed to that victory.

His message should extend beyond governors to party executives, local government chairmen and every political officeholder entrusted with mobilising voters.

The biblical parallel is unmistakable: “If I am a father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is my fear?” (Malachi 1:6). Equally instructive is John the Baptist’s admonition in Matthew 3:9-10: do not boast about having Abraham as your father; produce fruit consistent with that claim.

In politics, such fruit is measurable. It is the ability to mobilise people, earn their confidence and translate political structures into electoral results. APC membership, official titles and public declarations of loyalty are not substitutes for performance.

But here is the more fundamental question: what exactly should governors and political leaders be delivering to earn the people’s votes?

President Tinubu has repeatedly urged governors to prioritise people-oriented projects. That is where the real work begins. Roads that connect communities, accessible healthcare, functioning schools, employment opportunities, improved security and interventions that directly ease the burden on ordinary Nigerians are not merely governance achievements. They are the foundations of public trust.

The principle of reciprocity is straightforward: when leaders positively transform people’s lives, they strengthen the goodwill that can translate into electoral support. If a governor has brought meaningful development to a community, that governor has a stronger basis for asking its residents to support the President whose administration has enabled or supported that progress.

But this relationship cannot be built on assumptions. Projects must be visible, functional and relevant to the people they are intended to serve. Citizens are not voting machines, and public resources are not personal favours. The ultimate obligation of every elected official is to serve the electorate.

Wike’s confidence in delivering Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory rests on his administration’s record and mobilisation capacity. His challenge to the FCT area councils is equally important: the President’s impact must be felt beyond the corridors of power in Abuja and reach the nooks and crannies where ordinary residents live.

The same accountability should apply to local government chairmen. With increased allocations, they must demonstrate what those resources have delivered in their communities. More money should mean better services, not simply bigger political ambitions.

Governor Charles Soludo added another dimension to the evening’s deliberations. Representing the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), he described the present moment as one of exceptional political elite consensus around a president seeking a second term. He also argued that Nigeria has reached an important point of consensus on its economic direction, defending the difficult reforms undertaken by Tinubu’s administration with a memorable question: “If it’s not broken, why mend it?”

His position presents the governing coalition with both an opportunity and a responsibility. Political consensus can provide stability for reforms, but it must not become an excuse to ignore hardship, insecurity or the legitimate concerns of Nigerians. Economic progress must ultimately be assessed by its effects on people’s lives, not simply by agreement among political elites.

That is why APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda’s call for an honest campaign matters. The party must defend its record with evidence, acknowledge persistent challenges and offer credible solutions on the cost of living, security, jobs, education, healthcare and agriculture. A serious campaign does not deny problems; it demonstrates the capacity and commitment to solve them.

President Tinubu has made his expectations clear. The governors and other political leaders who have benefited from the administration’s policies and increased fiscal resources must now demonstrate what they have done with the opportunities available to them.

There is still work to be done before 2027. Governors must use the remaining months to deepen people-oriented interventions, strengthen grassroots engagement and make governance tangible in every community. They must not wait until campaign season to remember the people.

Ultimately, no amount of political rhetoric can replace evidence of performance. No title can compensate for failure to mobilise. And no declaration of loyalty is complete without results.

If your government has benefited from increased resources, show the people what those resources have achieved. If you claim to be a progressive, let your record reflect progress.

The President has set the challenge. The governors, party leaders and local government chairmen must now answer it.

In 2027, the question will not simply be who stood beside the President at the inauguration of the campaign council. It will be who delivered measurable development to the people, who earned their confidence and who translated political responsibility into results.

That is where loyalty must meet accountability, and where political titles must give way to performance.