By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operation
The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday flagged off its nationwide campaign for the January 16, 2027 presidential election in Kaduna, with party leaders declaring that Northern Nigeria will deliver overwhelming support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, said the North is united behind Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Speaking at the rally, the former Zamfara State governor said consultations across the northern states involving governors, traditional rulers, Islamic scholars and other stakeholders had produced a broad coalition for the President.
“Mr. President, I want you to listen to us clearly. Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent, by God’s grace, for you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Insha Allah,” Yari declared.
He dismissed the opposition as politically inexperienced and incapable of defeating the ruling party, which he said is backed by established structures and experienced leaders.
Yari said the APC will campaign on its record in infrastructure, health, education, human capital development and social interventions, rather than propaganda.
He accused opposition parties of using artificial intelligence to circulate misinformation about the administration’s policies, particularly in the agricultural sector, and said the campaign council had engaged about two million farmers who had pledged support for Tinubu.
Defending the administration’s economic reforms, Yari claimed the naira had strengthened from about N1,800 to about N1,300 to the dollar since May 2023.
He said the decision to flag off the campaign in Kaduna was deliberate, describing the state as the political centre of the North, and commended Governor Uba Sani and other APC governors for organizing the event.
Also speaking, Vice President Kashim Shettima said President Tinubu has fulfilled core promises made to Northern Nigeria and deserves a full electoral mandate in 2027.
Shettima thanked Northerners for supporting the administration through difficult economic adjustments and cited the President’s long-standing alliance with the region, including his past support for Atiku Abubakar in 2007, Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fiercely identified with the North over the years,” he said.
He listed achievements including the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, the Federal University of Education, Zaria, vocational institutes in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf with over 4,000 graduates, and student funding through NELFUND.
On infrastructure, Shettima cited the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, Kano-Maradi railway, Lagos-Kano rail corridor, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road and Sokoto-Badagry highway.
“We have the courage to come to Kaduna today because we have kept our promise to never relegate you,” he said.
He urged voters in the North-West and the broader North to deliver victory for the APC “from top to bottom.”
The rally was attended by President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, governors, National Assembly members and other party leaders.
