•Shettima: President has consistently supported northern political interests
•Blaming opponents for hunger shameless attempt to dodge responsibility, Atiku replies Tinubu
• ADC mocks APC campaign flag-off over empty seats, rented crowd, recycled promises
• Tinubu’s Kaduna campaign flag-off ‘political theatre’, says Makinde
Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday flagged off his 2027 re-election campaign in Kaduna State, declaring that he was working to eradicate inherited hunger and poverty created by his political opponents when they were in power.
Tinubu, who spoke at the Ranchers Bees Stadium, the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally, promised that his administration would create prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity.
This comes as Vice President Kashim Shettima declared that President Tinubu has consistently supported northern political interests, citing historical instances when the president provided vital political backing to major northern figures facing political adversity.
Meanwhile, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has challenged opposition figures presenting themselves as northern candidates to show their track record.
Reacting to Tinubu’s claim that the opposition created hunger and poverty, African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku described it as a delusional and shameless attempt to dodge responsibility for the misery Tinubu’s government has inflicted on Nigerians.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has also described the APC campaign flag-off in Kaduna as a monumental disappointment, accusing the ruling party of relying on rented crowds, empty seats and recycled promises.
Similarly, the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has dismissed President Tinubu’s campaign flag-off as political theatre, accusing his administration of failing the North on security, economic welfare and political inclusion.
Speaking at yesterday’s campaign rally, Tinubu accused his political opponents of creating hunger and poverty, which his administration was tackling.
Tinubu stated: “I must thank you for your participation in the past elections. You gave me joy, and I will always remember the victory you gave me to become President. I have come again to thank you and seek your mandate for a second term to fulfill our promise of prosperity, continuity, progress and development.
“I hear my opponents talking about hunger. Who created it? They did. They created hunger and poverty. We are trying to eradicate them. We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working, and I am proud of them. They are developing their states.
“To you, the children of our country, we promise prosperity in our second term. You will not regret going to the polls.
“Do you have your PVC? This is not a matter of anger either. Our opponents are angry… They have nothing to offer you but heckling. We have prosperity, consistency, growth, recovery and opportunity. I assure you of that.”
The president urged voters to vote for all the ruling party’s candidates during the election.
He noted: “Your prosperity is here. Your good fortune is in your hands. Your fingerprints will reflect this. Be careful. Watch them. Do not let them lie to you.
“What is past is past. Fuel subsidy is in our past. No more corruption, no more falsification of invoices, no more lies and no more smuggling.”
Shettima: Tinubu Had Consistently Supported Northern Political Interests
Also speaking at the rally, Vice President Shettima stated that President Tinubu had consistently supported northern political interests.
“And I want us to bear in mind and go back to the past. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fiercely identified with the North over the years. It is pertinent to mention that when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was harassed and chased out of the PDP, with his tail between his legs, he ran to the land of the Jagaban, who gave him political succour, support, and a platform to contest the presidency in 2007.
“Again, in 2011, President Tinubu supported another Northern man, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, to contest for the presidency of this country. You can also see that in 2015 and 2019, President Tinubu stood solidly behind the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who secured his first- and second-term victories. This is why we have all stood with him. This is a mark of honour, and our faith in a man of honour.”
Shettima said Tinubu’s administration had also kept the country together despite predictions of failure and had delivered on key promises.
Shettima also cited several projects delivered by Tinubu’s administration.
Gov Sani Challenges Northern Candidates to Show Records
Kaduna State Governor Senator Sani challenged opposition figures presenting themselves as northern candidates to show their track record, stressing that Tinubu had fulfilled key campaign promises made to Kaduna State in 2022, particularly on road reconstruction and security in Birnin Gwari.
He recalled Tinubu’s visit to Birnin Gwari LGA on December 22, 2022, when the area was the epicentre of insecurity in the North-west.
Addressing the President, Sani said: “At that time, a very senior officer advised you against going to Birnin Gwari because of security concerns. You instantly rejected the advice and travelled to Birnin Gwari with 27 armoured vehicles.”
According to the governor, two promises made during that visit have been met, adding that the 123km Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road abandoned for over 40 years was under reconstruction.
Sani said the government had released N117 billion to the contractor.
He noted: “Today you can travel to Birnin Gwari with your eyes closed without a single police escort. That is progress.”
The governor challenged opposition figures to show their track record.
“When someone came to us and said we should vote for him simply because he is a northerner, we asked him, can you show us a track record?” Sani said.
Also, the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, said the campaign would be based on records in the economy, infrastructure, health, education and cash transfers.
“We have been engaging all and sundry, our traditional rulers, our ulama and our imams, to understand the importance of your return in 2027 for continuity, for the peace of this country.”
He added: “The opposition have now upgraded their campaign from Facebook and Twitter to AI. So, I want to call the attention of our supporters to prepare, be watchful and be vigilant.”
For his part, the National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, declared that Tinubu has earned the confidence and support of Nigerians through his courageous leadership, commitment to national development, and promise of greater prosperity for the country.
Blaming Opposition for Hunger Shameless Attempt to Dodge Responsibility, Atiku Replies Tinubu
Meanwhile, Atiku has described Tinubu’s claim that the opposition created hunger and poverty as a delusional and shameless attempt to dodge responsibility for the misery his own government has inflicted on Nigerians.
In a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President argued that a President cannot light the fire of hardship with his own policies, then blame the neighbours for the smoke.
“Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger is either delusion or a staggering case of political amnesia. The APC governed Nigeria for eight years before you took office. You have added another three and a half years. Nigerians know who has been in power, and hardship did not begin when the opposition started talking about it. Stop insulting their intelligence and answer for your record.
“The hardship your administration has brought upon Nigerians is real. You cannot deny it by blaming others.
“Your decision to commission the unfinished Abuja to Kaduna Expressway from inside a stadium shows how far removed you are from the daily reality of Nigerians. A road cannot be completed with a speech or a ribbon-cutting ceremony,” Atiku added.
ADC Mocks APC Campaign Flag-off Over Empty Seats, Rented Crowd, Recycled Promises
Reacting to the rally, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said an event intended to demonstrate the APC’s political strength across the North-west had instead exposed what he described as the party’s declining public acceptance.
Ologbondiyan alleged that the APC mobilised people from the seven states of the North-west and beyond, with payments reportedly ranging from N50,000 to N100,000 per person. Yet, the stadium, which he put at a capacity of 5,000, remained sparsely occupied.
He added that the turnout, which he described as disappointing, was compounded by what he called the unenthusiastic reception given to the speeches and messages of APC leaders.
Ologbondiyan further alleged that some attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling party after leaving the stadium, chanting the Hausa phrase “Ba mu yi,” which he interpreted as a rejection of the APC and its policies.
The ADC-PCC accused the APC of returning to Kaduna with promises similar to those made during the 2015, 2019 and 2023 election cycles, arguing that the ruling party had failed to account for its years in power adequately.
Tinubu’s Kaduna Campaign Flag-off ‘Political Theatre’, Says Makinde
On its part, the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) said the APC campaign event would not erase what it described as broken promises, worsening hardship and declining public confidence in the ruling party.
In a statement issued by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, MDPCO challenged Tinubu to explain what the North had gained from his administration beyond persistent insecurity, economic difficulties and what it called marginalisation.
MDPCO alleged that at least 20,000 people had been killed in northern Nigeria since Tinubu assumed office in 2023, while millions had been displaced by insecurity. The statement did not independently verify the figures.
The organisation further alleged that the North had been marginalised in appointments to strategic federal positions, accusing the APC of treating the region primarily as a source of electoral support.
“No part of the country should be an electoral warehouse to be raided every four years and abandoned after victory,” the group said.