Tinubu kicks off 2027 re-election campaign in Kaduna, seeks fresh mandate

President Bola Tinubu has asked Nigerians to renew his mandate in 2027, promising to sustain his administration’s economic recovery efforts and deliver greater prosperity despite widespread concerns over rising living costs, hunger and poverty.

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

The rally attracted APC governors, ministers, members of the National Assembly, party officials and supporters from across the country, with thousands gathering at the Kaduna 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 some of the challenges his government was working to address.

He also commended APC governors for their development efforts 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 at all levels of government.

The campaign flag-off marked the formal commencement of the ruling party’s nationwide mobilisation for the 2027 presidential election.

Tinubu clarifies nationwide campaign plans

The Kaduna rally followed Tinubu’s inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on October 14, when he declared his readiness to renew his covenant with Nigerians ahead of the election.

However, the president indicated that he would not be physically present at every campaign venue nationwide, stressing that governance must continue alongside electioneering.

He said the campaign council would coordinate the party’s mobilisation across states and local government areas, while he would make time to address Nigerians directly during the campaign.

The Director-General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, subsequently announced that the president was expected to attend rallies in 12 states as part of the party’s nationwide campaign programme.

The proposed itinerary includes rallies in Kaduna, Rivers, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa and Lagos, with the campaign scheduled to conclude with a grand rally in Lagos in January 2027.

The party said the programme was designed to cover the country’s six geopolitical zones and strengthen grassroots mobilisation ahead of the election.

Sani highlights security, infrastructure gains

Earlier, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani thanked Tinubu 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 the 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.

Yari defends Tinubu’s economic policies

Yari said Kaduna was selected to host the campaign flag-off because of its political significance in Northern Nigeria.

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

Yari 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.

He 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.

Shettima appeals for northern support

Vice President Kashim Shettima also urged Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election, 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 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 also 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.