'Rice Over Results': Verydarkman Blasts Tinubu's Re-election Strategy, Says Four Years Should Speak for Themselves

Social media critic questions why president needs influencers, city boys, and food handouts to campaign instead of running on record

Social media commentator Verydarkman has launched a blistering critique of President Bola Tinubu's re-election campaign strategy, questioning why a president seeking a second term needs influencers, food handouts, and celebrity endorsements instead of running on his record.

In a video that has since gone viral across platforms, the out critic dissected what he sees as the fundamental illogic of the president's approach to the 2027 election.

'Make It Make Sense'

Verydarkman opened with a challenge that cuts to the heart of democratic accountability: after four years in office, a president's work should speak for itself.

"Alright, so make it make sense that you have been in power for four years. And after four years, you are campaigning for reelection. But instead of you to campaign with the work that you have done in these four years, you are using rice to campaign," he said.

He pointed to the visible mobilization of social media influencers, the "City Boys Movement," and even the president's son distributing food items to market women as evidence that the campaign is relying on transactional appeals rather than substantive achievements.

"You are getting influencers to campaign for you. You are arranging city boys' movement, city girls' movement here and there, getting the hottest baddies in town to come and campaign for you," he continued.

The Unspoken Admission

For Verydarkman, the very existence of such a campaign strategy reveals what the president's record allegedly does not.

"Make it make sense that in all four years you still need people to convince people to vote for you. The people are supposed to be begging you to remain in power. But because you know that in that four years of being in power, you did not achieve anything. That is why you need influencers."

He argued that the reliance on regional influencers—particularly from the South-West—to "gather their people" and "rally their people" represents a tacit admission that the president's performance alone is insufficient to secure votes.

The Rice Question

The critic specifically called out visible images of food distribution as emblematic of what he views as a problematic campaign approach.

"The other day I saw the president's son. He carry, he they share rice. I see MC Oluomo too dey share rice to market women. And I'm like, do you need to do this?"

His underlying argument is that if governance had delivered tangible improvements in people's lives—particularly in areas like security—such handouts would be unnecessary.

Security First

Verydarkman pivoted to what he described as the bare minimum of governance: security.

"All you had to do was to use your first four years to do the best to do not even the best to do the least let's say security now a lot of people don't know that..."

The sentence trailed off, but the implication was clear: in his view, the administration has failed to deliver even on basic promises of safety and stability, forcing it to rely on transactional campaign tactics rather than substantive achievements.

Political Context

Verydarkman's critique lands at a moment when Tinubu's re-election campaign is indeed mobilizing a broad coalition of influencers, celebrities, and grassroots organizers. The "City Boys Movement," led by figures including socialite Cubana Chief Priest, has been particularly visible, organizing events and mobilizing youth support.

The campaign has also been marked by high-profile distribution of food items and other material support to market women and community groups—tactics that are common in Nigerian politics but that Verydarkman argues should be unnecessary for an incumbent president.

The Accountability Question

At its core, Verydarkman's critique is about democratic accountability. When an incumbent seeks re-election, the argument goes, voters should be able to evaluate their performance and decide whether they deserve another term. Campaigns that rely on transactional appeals rather than substantive records, in this view, short-circuit that accountability mechanism.

Whether Tinujan supporters will be swayed by such arguments remains to be seen. But Verydarkman has succeeded in articulating a question that many voters may be asking themselves as 2027 approaches: if four years of governance haven't convinced you, why should a bag of rice?