Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged northern voters to back President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027, describing such support as a fitting response to Tinubu’s longstanding backing for political leaders from the region.
Call for APC renewal
-
Speaking on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign launch in Kaduna, Shettima said Tinubu had repeatedly supported northern political figures, including former President Muhammadu Buhari.
-
He argued that a Tinubu victory in the 2027 election would allow the North to return the political support the President has extended to northerners over many years.
-
Shettima said he and other political leaders from the region were appealing to northerners, as well as Nigerians across the country, to renew the APC’s mandate at every level of government for another term.
-
He cited Tinubu’s previous support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying Tinubu gave him a platform to seek the presidency in 2007 after Abubakar left the Peoples Democratic Party.
-
The Vice President also pointed to Tinubu’s support for National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu during Ribadu’s presidential bid under the ANC platform.
-
Shettima said Tinubu actively campaigned for the late President Buhari during the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections, personally seeking support from Nigerians to help secure Buhari’s victories.
Projects and infrastructure claims
Defending the Tinubu administration’s record, Shettima said the government had met its commitments in major sectors. He said returning Tinubu to office in 2027 would represent an act of honour, urging northerners to trust a leader whom he described as having consistently stood with the region.
Among the administration’s achievements in Kaduna State, Shettima listed the creation of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the conversion of an institution in Zaria into the Federal University of Education, and the establishment of a state vocational institute in Rigachikun and other parts of the state. He also cited the Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan.
He said the government had made significant headway on the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, the Kano-Maradun railway, the Lagos-Kano rail corridor and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, alongside other projects across northern Nigeria.
Shettima added that work was progressing on the Sokoto-Badagry highway, which he said would create major opportunities for agricultural production. He said the region could expect further projects if Tinubu and the APC are returned to power in 2027.
