Tella Emeh 

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the nineteen Governor’s of the northern States on Saturday, declared that the North has no fear in a President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, thereby supporting his second term in office in the 2027 general elections. 

Shettima who made this disclosure at the unveiling of the Arewa for Asiwaju, (A4A) campaign office in Abuja, said Tinubu has the region at heart, urging both leaders and followers alike to defend the president with facts.

A4A is a group of prominent leaders, including former governors and present political office holders from the North, committed to the re-election of the president.

The vice president said Tinubu got 60.2 per cent of votes in the 2023 general election from the region and would get more than that in the next polls.

Shettima announced that an agricultural meeting chaired by him is holding next week which northeners are the great beneficiaries of the initiative.

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

“We gave President Tinubu, 60.2 per cent of votes in 2023 and by the grace of God, we shall give him more than that in the next election.

“The most contested election in the history of this country was the last presidential election. Every fault line, geopolitical, ethnic and religious, was deliberately manipulated for political means.

“But what was the outcome? Christians of northern states is very well represented because of the influence of this gentleman, (George Akume) please stand up for additional recognition.

“The APC won Benue by 310,460 votes. I will concentrate largely on the North-Central, which has been really helpful. The North-Central contributed more to our victory, alongside the North-West, especially the North-West in Sokoto, which is one of the northern-most states.

“I can count Sokoto and Borno at two extreme ends of the northern spectrum. The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP)’s candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, got 288,679 votes, while the APC candidate got 285,444 votes. The national candidate lost to the regional candidate by a paltry 3,235 votes, and the whole fault lines have changed,” he noted.

Shettima called on the leaders of the North to leverage the strength of the party in the region to defeat the former Vice President and Presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, (ADC) Atiku Abubakar who is also a northerner.

“So, I want to call on all of us to put our hands together. There are 176,845 polling units across the country. The APC, from ward to local government levels, has 361,045 officials. What it means is that we can match every polling unit two to two.

“Politics is still local. Who are our genuine acquaintances? That is the most important thing. Honestly, we have to go granular. What I told the governor of Borno state is to compile a list of all our political appointees from the state to local government level.

Politics is still local. People have to justify their presence in the system before they can qualify for appointments at the centre, but most importantly, our unity as a family. Honestly, if we unite as a people, as a family, we will conquer.

“I want to implore all of us to coalesce into a single force and see that the APC wins the election from the top to the bottom,” he said.

Shettima also called on party leaders and supporters to be equally committed to governorship election as they are to the the presidential election polls in overall interest of the party.

Justifying the onus to re-elect Tinubu, Shettima said: “I dare to tell my northern brothers and sisters that when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in this country, what we had in our foreign reserves was a country with $3.9 billion, barely enough to import oil for one month. And our Ways and Means expenditure was over N27 trillion.

“Printing of money would not have any backing. Instead of blaming the president, that is why I respect him tremendously. Instead of him resorting to name-calling or passing the blame, what he said was quite monumental. He said he had to inherit the assets and liabilities of his predecessor. That is the hallmark of leadership.

“Nigeria was on the road to Caracas. The economy was teetering on the brink of collapse. He literally saved the nation. Some of the people who by now might be writing epistles on a collapsed economy in the comfort of their homes, with their Moroccan wives in Dubai, have not been disappointed. In Dubai, in New York, in Marrakech, they were sorely disappointed,” he said.

The vice president said the economy has stabilised though the people are going through some rough times but it could have been worse.

“We have wiped off the entire Ways and Means, N27 billion of unaccounted funds. Now, for the first time in nearly 18 years, our foreign reserves are in the neighbourhood of $58.9 billion dollars. So, instead of demonising him, he deserves to be celebrated. He deserves to be applauded,” Shettima added.

Also speaking, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, also drummed support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, insisting that the administration’s record over the past three years called for continuity.

“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 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, whether you are of different faith, different religion, different tribe, he has brought us together under one shelter, always talking to us and engaging us,” Yilwatda said.

In his welcome address, the Director-General of A4A and former Jigawa state governor, Abubakar Badaru, said the group was formed out of its members’ conviction that Tinubu and Shettima had performed well and deserved another term.

“We speak with a single voice and a single heart: Tinubu/Shettima Ticket deserves a second term. We did not arrive at that conclusion because of sentiment. We arrived at it because of the evidence.

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, leadership is judged by what is delivered. And when we look at what this administration has delivered, the record speaks for itself

“On infrastructure, roads, bridges, rail and power projects that had been talked about for decades are now taking shape, connecting our markets, our farmers and our communities to opportunity. 

“On social investment, this administration has chosen to stand with the vulnerable, so that the ordinary Nigerian, the trader, the farmer and the young person starting out, feels the hand of government in their daily life. 

“On education, the Student Loan initiative has opened the doors of the university to young people who would otherwise have been shut out by the cost of tuition, and no talented child of Arewa should ever again be denied a future because of a lack of money.

“On security, the question that weighs most heavily on every home in the North, there has been a significant improvement. Our people are returning to their farms. Roads once feared are being travelled again. Communities that lived in dread are rebuilding in hope,” he added.

The chairman, Board of Trustees(BoT) of A4A and former governor of Kano state,

Senator Ibrahim Shekarau reiterated the committee and determination of the group to delivering Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the North.

“The DG has spoken our mind. We are determined. We are committed, and we will now hit the ground in our mission.

“On behalf of the entire structure of A4A, we wish to thank one and all for coming, for giving us your support, for assuring us of your continued support, and we also want to assure you of our own commitment to the cause of the mission of A4A,” he stated.