Shettima Woos North for Tinubu’s 2027 Re-election, Cites ₦450bn Farmers’ Support

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged northern Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, insisting that the region has nothing to fear from a second term for the administration.

Shettima made the call on Monday when he received a delegation of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a northern-based political think tank campaigning for Tinubu’s re-election, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the North had benefited significantly from the administration’s appointments, programmes and development projects, adding that the region stood to gain more if the president secured another term.

The vice-president urged political leaders and citizens across the region to unite behind the administration and work towards improving the welfare of the people.

“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.

Citing support for farmers, Shettima disclosed that the Bank of Agriculture had disbursed ₦450 billion to 700,000 smallholder farmers across the country, with about 70 per cent of the beneficiaries reportedly coming from northern Nigeria.

He also said the administration was working to complete major infrastructure and development projects in different parts of the country.

“I can assure you that the president loves the North and the president will work for the North,” he added.

Shettima commended the group for its support for Tinubu and urged its members to intensify grassroots mobilisation across wards, communities and local government areas ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Earlier, the Director-General of Arewa for Asiwaju and former Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, said the organisation was determined to secure northern support for Tinubu’s re-election.

Badaru disclosed that the group planned to engage religious leaders, including Muslim and Christian clerics, as well as other influential Nigerians, to explain why they should support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in 2027.

He said the organisation had held several meetings with prominent stakeholders and planned further engagements to consolidate its support base.

According to him, A4A is also collaborating with the Presidential Campaign Council on grassroots mobilisation, focusing particularly on local government areas and wards.

“We want to focus very well on the contacts at the grassroots, the local government areas and the wards,” Badaru said.

The Chairman of the organisation’s Board of Trustees and former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, also pledged that the group would work towards repeating its support for Tinubu’s successful 2023 presidential campaign.

Shekarau said A4A had been engaging northern governors and other stakeholders to identify areas of collaboration and strengthen support for the president’s re-election.

He added that the organisation had concluded plans to establish a permanent secretariat to coordinate its activities, monitor reports from state coordinators and communicate directives to members across the country.

The former governor also invited Shettima to commission the organisation’s office complex.

The delegation included former Plateau State governors Joshua Dariye and Simon Lalong; former Taraba State Governor Jolly Nyame; former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello; former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema; and former Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda.

Also present were the President’s Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman; Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Buba Marwa; government officials; and members of the organisation’s Board of Trustees and secretariat.