Vice-President Kashim Shettima has expressed confidence that the North will give President Bola Tinubu more votes in the 2027 presidential election than the 60.2 per cent it contributed to his victory in 2023.

Shettima stated this on Saturday at the commissioning of the national secretariat of Arewa for Asiwaju, a northern support group for Tinubu’s re-election, in Abuja, where he urged political leaders in the region to rally behind the President.

He said the North had demonstrated its confidence in Tinubu’s leadership, adding that the region had nothing to fear about the President’s second-term bid.

“I want to use the opportunity to say that by now, I believe the North has spoken. We have spoken with a resounding voice and unmistakable conviction. From Adamawa to Zamfara, from Borno to Niger, from Benue to Sokoto, we have spoken.

“Arewa has given substance to its declaration of trust in the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. You have demonstrated this commitment to lead from the front on behalf of Mr. President.

“Therefore, I thank you for the extraordinary lengths to which you have gone to stand with this administration. Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no officeholder should ever underestimate.”

“In less than 100 days, Nigerians will return to the polls. Democracy requires us to seek their confidence again, with humility about the work outstanding and conviction about the cause we have chosen,” he said.

He added “The mandate belongs to the people. We must account for issues and explain how another four years, another four years of purposeful leadership, will advance their interests.”

“The dividends of democracy must rebuild the lives of those who hold office, and we recognise that we cannot succeed in this without your continued support and wise counsel.”

“Four years ago, we offered ourselves to the people. We pledged to control insecurity, widen economic opportunities, and free families from the indignity of poverty.”

Shettima acknowledged that many Nigerians were still struggling with economic hardship, saying the Tinubu administration remained committed to its promises but must be honest about its achievements and the challenges that persist.

He urged leaders to listen to traders battling rising costs and unemployed graduates, stressing that government policies should be guided by citizens’ experiences and their impact on their lives.

“The economy has stabilized. Yes, we are going through some rough times, but it could have been worse. We have wiped off the entire Ways and Means, N27bn of unaccounted funds. Now, for the first time in nearly 18 years, our foreign reserves are in the neighbourhood of $58.9bn.

“So, instead of demonising him, he deserves to be celebrated. He deserves to be applauded.

“And for the North, we have absolutely nothing to fear in a Tinubu second term. He has the North at heart.

“Next week, we convene an agricultural meeting. He has mandated me to chair it. Who are the net beneficiaries of whatever agricultural initiative that will come the way of our farmers? They are the northern people.

“And we gave Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, 60.2 per cent of his votes in 2023, and by the grace of God, we shall give him more than that in the next election,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the launch of the A4A campaign structure ahead of the 2027 presidential election was timely, noting that the North needed a credible platform to mobilise support for President Tinubu’s re-election.

He expressed optimism that the group would help communicate the achievements of the Tinubu administration to the people across the region.

Also, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, predicted that the North would give President Bola Tinubu more than 70 per cent of its votes in the 2027 presidential election.

The APC chairman listed road projects across northern states, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, irrigation dams, railway projects, healthcare initiatives, and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund among the interventions he said should encourage the North to support Tinubu for a second term.

“Today is a time for us to renew a mandate that was largely supported by the North, and the North, again, will largely support the return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term.

“We have many reasons to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so many reasons. Our son, our father, our leader, the Vice-President, is one reason why we should support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“He has built an inclusive environment, bringing all of us together, ensuring that whether you are Christian, Muslim, or of a different faith, religion, or tribe, he has brought us together under one shelter, always talking to us and engaging us.

“So, we have a reason to back him, to support him, and the two of them, the joint ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Shettima, should be returned for a second term,” Yilwatda said.

The APC chairman also cited road projects across the North, including the Trans-Saharan Super Highway and routes linking Maiduguri, Biu, Gombe, and Bauchi, which he said covered over 1,000 kilometres.

“We have the job that has been completed. The one from Abuja here, Abuja to Kaduna, Kaduna to Kano, over 441 kilometres, and from Kano to Maiduguri, over 500 kilometres. Those two roads alone are over 900 kilometres, more than the 700 kilometres of Lagos Road. Just two roads in the North.”

“Apart from the one from Ilorin, Ilorin coming into Niger, Niger to Kebbi, Kebbi to Sokoto, Sokoto to Illela. Just over 700 kilometres. Just that bridge, that wing alone, apart from the one from here to Lokoja, Lokoja, you go down to Benin, the one from Kano heading to Taura, the one from Danja coming back to Zaria, the one from Plateau heading back to Taraba, you can keep on going on with the road network job in the North done by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I can’t mention all of them, but President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done wonderfully. He has covered all the geopolitical zones in the North in terms of road projects,” he said.

Yilwatda also cited railway and healthcare projects in the North, including the construction of health centres and free medical services for pregnant women, as reasons the region should support Tinubu’s re-election.

“If we win only in our respective hometowns and polling units, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure over 70 per cent of the votes in the North. So, we have no reason not to return Mr. President,” he said.

In his remarks, former Minister of Defence and Director-General of Arewa for Asiwaju, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, said President Tinubu’s record in infrastructure, education, social investment, and security justified a second term.

Badaru said the A4A campaign would mobilise support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket across the North, reaching communities at the ward, local government, and state levels.

He said President Tinubu’s administration had taken difficult but necessary decisions for Nigeria’s future, adding that the group would continue to support the President’s re-election bid.

Abubakar said A4A would mobilise support for Tinubu across the North through governors, legislators, traditional institutions, and youths.

He also described the group’s campaign headquarters as a three-block complex comprising three-storey buildings, with offices, a conference room, and a situation room for monitoring and directing campaign activities.

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