The Presidency has rejected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign promise to reopen Nigeria’s land borders, arguing that the country’s borders are already open.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had made border reopening part of his campaign messaging ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Responding to the proposal, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the premise behind the promise was inaccurate because Nigeria’s land borders were not currently closed.
The response comes as border management has emerged as one of the issues likely to feature prominently in the 2027 campaign.
Nigeria’s land borders have historically been subject to varying degrees of restrictions, particularly in relation to the movement of goods, smuggling and security concerns.
The Tinubu administration has also introduced measures aimed at easing trade and strengthening economic activity around Nigeria’s borders.
The Presidency’s position is that describing the borders as closed does not accurately reflect the current situation.
Atiku and the ADC, however, have continued to criticise several aspects of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and have presented their own proposals as alternatives ahead of the election.
The disagreement over border policy is therefore expected to become part of the wider debate over trade, food prices, security and Nigeria’s economic relationship with neighbouring countries.