Kaduna: Tinubu kicks off 2027 campaign, seeks Nigerians’ mandate

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to support his re-election in 2027, promising to sustain his administration’s economic recovery efforts and deliver greater prosperity despite growing concerns over hunger and poverty.

Tinubu made the appeal on Saturday at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign in Kaduna, where he called on party supporters to mobilise voters ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

The event attracted APC governors, ministers, National Assembly members, party officials and supporters from across the country, with thousands gathering at the Township Stadium and surrounding roads.

Addressing the crowd, Tinubu thanked Kaduna residents for supporting him during the 2023 presidential election, saying he had returned to seek another mandate to continue his administration’s policies and programmes.

The president dismissed criticisms of hunger and poverty, blaming previous administrations for creating some of the challenges his government was working to address.

He also commended APC governors for their efforts to develop their respective states and praised his administration for ensuring the regular payment of salaries.

“Your prosperity is here. Your future is in your hands. Your fingerprints on the ballot will determine it,” Tinubu told supporters, urging them to reject misinformation and vote for APC candidates across all levels of government.

Earlier, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani thanked the president for federal interventions in transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and human capital development.

Sani said the interventions had brought renewed hope to Kaduna and other parts of Northern Nigeria, urging voters to support continuity in the 2027 elections.

Highlighting his administration’s security and infrastructure achievements, the governor said N178 billion had been released for the reconstruction of the 123-kilometre Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, which he said had remained abandoned for more than 40 years.

He recalled that Tinubu visited Birnin Gwari during the 2023 presidential campaign despite security concerns and promised to improve security along the corridor.

“Today, you can travel to Birnin Gwari without a police escort. That is progress, Mr President, and we thank you for it,” Sani said.

The governor added that more than 300 schools and over 150 primary healthcare centres previously shut because of insecurity in Kaduna State had reopened.

He also commended the federal government for the ongoing reconstruction of the Zaria-Soba-Kambuwa road and the proposed Kaduna metropolitan light rail project.

According to Sani, $865 million had been approved for the rail project, while China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation had received $300 million in mobilisation funds.

On education, he said the North-West had received N84 billion through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, supporting about 414,000 students across the region.

The Director-General of the Tinubu presidential campaign, Senator Abdulazeez Yari, said Kaduna was selected to host the flag-off because of its political significance in Northern Nigeria.

Yari defended the administration’s economic policies, claiming that Nigeria’s foreign reserves had increased from about $33.9 billion when Tinubu assumed office to approximately $54.7 billion.

He also dismissed claims that the federal government was working against farmers, saying about two million farmers had indicated their support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Yari urged traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, imams and other community leaders to mobilise support for the president, arguing that continuity was necessary for national development and peace.

“By God’s grace, Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent behind you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we are determined to deliver our promise in the 2027 general election,” he said.

Vice President Kashim Shettima also urged support for Tinubu, saying the APC had demonstrated its commitment to national unity and development through cooperation with state governments.

Shettima said Nigerians supported the APC in 2023 because they believed the alternative would have been disastrous for the country.

He praised Sani’s administration for promoting unity in Kaduna, arguing that residents from different communities increasingly regarded one another as brothers and sisters.

The vice president also cited federal investments in education, including the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia and the conversion of the Federal College of Education, Zaria, into a university of education.

He said the administration had continued infrastructure projects initiated by previous governments, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, Kano-Maradi railway, Lagos-Kano rail corridor and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.

Shettima further defended Tinubu’s relationship with Northern Nigeria, citing his past support for northern political leaders seeking the presidency, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar after he left the Peoples Democratic Party.

He urged the region to reciprocate what he described as the president’s political goodwill by supporting his re-election in 2027.