Vice-President Kashim Shettima has warned that growing support in northern Nigeria for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid is not a “blank cheque”, saying the administration must earn voters’ confidence through transparency, accountability and measurable results.
Shettima spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the unveiling of the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) campaign head office and the inauguration of the group’s campaign structure for the 2027 presidential election.
He said the growing political support for Tinubu placed an obligation on the administration and its supporters to explain the impact of its policies and reforms on Nigerians.
“By now, I believe the north has spoken. We have spoken with a resounding voice and unmistakable conviction. From Adamawa to Zamfara, from Borno to Niger, we have spoken,” the vice-president said.
“Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no officeholder should ever underestimate.”
Shettima said the administration must base its campaign for a second term on its record and demonstrate how another four years would advance the interests of Nigerians.
“The mandate belongs to the people. We must account for its use and explain how another term would advance their interests,” he said.
He added that northern Nigerians had nothing to fear from Tinubu’s second term, while stressing that elected leaders must remain accountable to citizens.
‘Nigerians have endured difficult adjustments’
The vice-president acknowledged that Nigerians had endured difficult economic adjustments, warning government supporters against dismissing public concerns or relying on political slogans to defend government policies.
“Our citizens have endured difficult adjustments. We cannot pretend otherwise,” he said.
“What we owe them is an honest account of the decisions taken, the gains achieved and the difficulties that persist. We lose our hearing when applause becomes our only source of information.”
He said the experiences of traders grappling with higher costs, graduates searching for jobs and families struggling with daily expenses should inform government decisions.
“A failed policy enters somebody’s home as a missed meal, an unpaid school fee or an opportunity lost,” he said.
Shettima described criticism as an essential part of democratic governance, saying the administration should remain open to ideas regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity, religion or region.
“There is no democracy without critics. Progress demands that our assumptions endure the examination of those who disagree with us,” he said.
He urged the A4A campaign structure to serve as a channel through which concerns from communities could reach government officials.
“A complaint should travel from a community to those who can act upon it. The people who speak through this organisation deserve to know that somebody is listening,” he said.
The vice-president identified security, economic opportunities, poverty reduction, education and stronger public institutions as key government priorities.
“The farmer should be able to cultivate in safety. A child’s education should prepare that child for a productive life. Public institutions should give citizens confidence that effort can yield opportunity,” he said.
He added that the responsibilities of governance would continue beyond the election campaign.
“Even as elections impose a deadline upon persuasion, public service imposes no deadline upon our duty,” he said.
Yilwatda urges North to back Tinubu, Shettima
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, urged northern Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election, citing Shettima’s leadership and what he described as the administration’s achievements.
Yilwatda said the vice-president had fostered an inclusive political environment by bringing together people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
“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,” he said.
The APC chairman called for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket to be returned for a second term.
“So we have a reason to back him, to support him, and the two of them, the joint ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Shettima, should be returned for a second term,” he said.
Earlier, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the inauguration of the A4A structure came at a time when the North needed a trusted platform to mobilise support for Tinubu.
Barau said the group would help communicate what he described as the administration’s achievements across the region.
Akume, northern governors back second term
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said the North should decide on the 2027 elections based on evidence and an assessment of the administration’s record rather than sentiment.
Akume also called for the region’s influence to be harnessed to promote national unity and development.
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, who spoke on behalf of northern governors, said the region would support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket based on the administration’s performance.
He said the region’s support for the president would reflect a commitment to fairness, equity, unity and national progress.
Former Jigawa State Governor and Director-General of A4A, Abubakar Badaru, said the group was established out of the conviction that Tinubu and Shettima had performed well and deserved another term.
Badaru pledged to take the campaign for continuity and completion of the administration’s projects to communities across northern Nigeria.
The event was attended by serving members of the National Assembly, ministers, presidential aides, heads of government agencies, former governors and other political leaders from the North.
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