Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged northern Nigerians to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, citing the administration’s policies, agricultural financing initiatives and infrastructure development.
Shettima made the appeal on Monday, October 12, 2026, when he received a delegation from Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a political support group campaigning for Tinubu’s second term, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Vice-President called on northern leaders and residents to unite behind the administration, arguing that continued support for the Tinubu government could create further opportunities for economic growth and development across the region.
Shettima cited agricultural financing as one of the administration’s interventions, claiming that the Bank of Agriculture had provided ₦450 billion in loans to 700,000 smallholder farmers nationwide, with approximately 70 per cent of the beneficiaries coming from northern Nigeria.
He also said the Federal Government was working to complete major infrastructure projects across the country and reaffirmed Tinubu’s commitment to the development of the North.
Shettima commended A4A for its support and urged the group to intensify its mobilisation efforts at the local government, ward and community levels ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking during the meeting, A4A Director-General and former Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, said the organisation would continue its campaign to secure northern support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket.
Badaru disclosed that A4A planned to engage Muslim and Christian religious leaders, as well as other influential Nigerians, to explain the reasons behind its support for the administration’s re-election bid.
He said the group had already held consultations with prominent individuals and intended to sustain the engagements through its Board of Trustees.
Badaru added that A4A was supporting the Presidential Campaign Council in areas where its involvement was required, while focusing particularly on grassroots political mobilisation.
The Chairman of A4A’s Board of Trustees and former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, said the organisation intended to build on its mobilisation efforts during the 2023 general election ahead of the next presidential poll.
Shekarau said A4A had held meetings with northern governors and other stakeholders to exchange ideas and develop strategies for securing support for Tinubu’s re-election.
He also announced that the group had completed preparations for a permanent secretariat to improve its administrative coordination and operational efficiency. The facility is expected to accommodate directors’ offices and provide a structure for state coordinators to submit reports and receive operational directives.
Shekarau invited Shettima to formally commission the new secretariat.
Former governors and other public officials attended the meeting, including Joshua Dariye and Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Jolly Nyame of Taraba State; Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State; and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State.
Others present included the President’s Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, and the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, alongside members of the A4A Board of Trustees and secretariat.
The meeting highlighted A4A’s plans to expand its political engagement and grassroots mobilisation across northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election.
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Politics