VICE-PRESIDENT Kashim Shettima has assured northern leaders that they have nothing to fear if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is re-elected, urging them and citizens across the region to unite behind the President’s second-term bid, which he described as a “secure, bulletproof guarantee for the region’s future prosperity and stability.”
News Point Nigeria reports that Shettima made the appeal on Monday when he received a delegation from Arewa for Tinubu (A4A), a northern-based think tank working for Tinubu’s re-election, during a courtesy visit.
The Vice-President called on leaders across the region to unite under a common front and work towards the development of the North and the well-being of its people, which he said remained top priorities for the Tinubu administration.
According to Shettima, the North has no reason to fear Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the region has benefited significantly from appointments, projects and programmes under the present administration.
“Let’s unite as a people and work for the development of our region and the progress of our people through the re-election of this administration. We are benefiting and we stand to benefit more from this government in many ways,” he said.
Shettima cited the Bank of Agriculture’s disbursement of N450 billion to 700,000 smallholder farmers across Nigeria, noting that approximately 70 per cent of the beneficiaries were from the North.
“The Bank of Agriculture has disbursed N450 billion to 700,000 smallholder farmers in Nigeria and about 70 percent of the beneficiaries are from the north,” the Vice-President stated.
He also said the administration was working towards completing landmark and groundbreaking projects in different parts of the country, assuring northern leaders of Tinubu’s commitment to the region.
“The present administration is working towards completing landmark and ground breaking projects in parts of the country. I can assure you that the president loves the north and the president will work for the north,” he said.
The Vice-President thanked the group for its steadfast support for Tinubu and urged its members to intensify their mobilisation efforts across wards, communities and local government areas throughout the North ahead of the President’s re-election campaign.
Earlier, the Director-General of Arewa for Asiwaju and former Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, said the organisation would not relent until it made the North proud by securing Tinubu’s re-election.
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Badaru disclosed that the group planned to engage religious leaders, including Muslim and Christian clerics, as well as other prominent Nigerians, to explain the need to support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in the 2027 general election.
“On discussions with the high profile, we have gone far. We have met them severally and the BoT is meeting them again to consolidate our gains and to tell them why there is need to support this ticket,” he said.
He also explained that the organisation was supporting the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) by undertaking activities at the grassroots level, allowing the council to concentrate on its broader campaign strategy.
“We are also supporting the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) with whatever they want us to do that is micro in nature because they are so big and we really don’t want to lose sight of the bigger arrangement that is there. We want to focus very well on the contacts at the grassroots – the local government areas and the wards,” Badaru added.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the organisation’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, said the think tank, which worked for Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election, was prepared to repeat the feat in 2027.
Shekarau disclosed that the organisation had been meeting with northern governors and other stakeholders to exchange views and identify areas of collaboration towards achieving Tinubu’s re-election.
He noted that the organisation had concluded plans to establish a fully operational secretariat to improve coordination, with offices for directors and state coordinators who would compare reports, analyse developments and issue instructions to members.
The BoT chairman also formally invited Shettima to officially commission the A4A office complex.
Those present at the meeting included former Plateau State governors Chief Joshua Dariye and Senator Simon Lalong; former Taraba State Governor Rev. Jolly Nyame; former Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello; former Katsina State Governor Barr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema; and former Bauchi State Governor Mallam Isa Yuguda.
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Others were the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman; Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.); senior government officials; and other members of the A4A Board of Trustees and secretariat.
The meeting underscored the organisation’s plans to expand its engagement with political, religious and community leaders while strengthening its grassroots structures across northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
