•Demands fact-based campaigns, transparency
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defend President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid with facts, transparency and measurable results, warning that growing Northern support for the administration must not be taken for granted.
Shettima said the administration must provide an honest account of its economic reforms, acknowledge the difficulties Nigerians are facing and demonstrate how its policies are improving livelihoods ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He spoke yesterday in Abuja at the unveiling of the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) campaign headquarters and inauguration of the Northern political think tank’s campaign structure for the 2027 presidential election.
The Vice-President, while expressing confidence in the level of support for Tinubu across the North, said such political goodwill imposed a greater responsibility on the administration and its supporters to remain accountable to 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. Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no officeholder should ever underestimate,” he said.
He maintained that the President’s bid for a second term must be anchored on the administration’s record and a clear explanation of how another mandate 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,” Shettima said.
Acknowledging the economic difficulties Nigerians have endured under the administration’s reforms, he cautioned APC campaigners against dismissing public concerns or relying on political slogans to justify government policies.
“Our citizens have endured difficult adjustments. We cannot pretend otherwise. 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.
Shettima said the concerns of traders facing rising costs, graduates searching for employment and families struggling with daily expenses must remain central to government decision-making.
“A failed policy enters somebody’s home as a missed meal, an unpaid school fee or an opportunity lost,” he added.
The Vice-President also stressed the importance of criticism in a democracy, urging the administration to remain open to constructive 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 charged the A4A campaign organisation to serve not only as a platform for mobilising votes but also as a channel through which citizens could communicate their concerns to those in authority.
“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,” Shettima said.
He identified security, economic opportunities, poverty reduction, education and stronger public institutions as key priorities that must guide the administration.
“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.
Shettima added that the obligations of governance extended beyond election campaigns, insisting that public service must remain a continuous responsibility.
“Even as elections impose a deadline upon persuasion, public service imposes no deadline upon our duty,” he said.
Earlier, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the inauguration of the A4A structure would provide a platform to mobilise Northern support for Tinubu’s re-election and communicate the administration’s achievements to the region.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, moved a motion calling on the North to support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in 2027.
Yilwatda attributed the administration’s support in the region to Shettima’s inclusive leadership and progressive outlook, citing projects across sectors and the appointment of Northern leaders to strategic positions.
Similarly, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, urged the North to approach the 2027 elections with what he described as wisdom and evidence rather than sentiment.
Akume said the region’s influence should be harnessed to promote national unity and progress, while highlighting projects and interventions undertaken by the Tinubu administration in Northern Nigeria.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who spoke on behalf of Northern governors, said the region would mobilise support for the re-election of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket based on the administration’s record of performance.
He said the North’s support would reflect its commitment to fairness, equity, national unity and the country’s progress.
In his welcome address, former Jigawa State governor and A4A Director-General, Abubakar Mohammed Badaru, said the organisation was established out of the conviction that Tinubu and Shettima had performed well and deserved another term.
Badaru assured the President and APC leadership that the group would take its message of continuity and completion of the administration’s projects to communities across Northern Nigeria and beyond.
Serving members of the National Assembly, ministers, presidential aides, heads of government agencies, former governors and other prominent Northern stakeholders attended the event.
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