Vice President Kashim Shettima says the growing Northern support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election is not a blank check.
Mr Shettima said this on Saturday in Abuja when he unveiled the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) Campaign Head Office and formally inaugurated the campaign structure of the northern think tank.
He expressed a firm belief that the north has spoken with a resounding voice and unmistakable conviction in its support for President Tinubu.
Shettima maintained that expanding loyalty in the region demands greater accountability, and an honest dialogue with citizens about ongoing reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration.
According to him, the administration will earn it through facts, radical transparency and measurable results.
He said the renewed political confidence should never be taken for granted, as the government and its supporters must continue to engage Nigerians on the basis of facts and demonstrate how the ongoing reforms are improving security, livelihoods, and economic opportunity.
“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 states we have spoken. Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no officeholder should ever underestimate,” he stated.
The vice president noted that Tinubu’s bid for a renewed mandate must rest on the administration’s record and a clear account of how another term would advance the interests of Nigerians.
He restated that the north had nothing to be afraid of in Tinubu’s second term and Nigeria’s leaders.
“The mandate belongs to the people. We must account for its use and explain how another term would advance their interests,” he said.
Mr Shettima acknowledged that Nigerians have endured difficult economic adjustments.
He, however, warned campaigners against dismissing genuine concerns or relying on political slogans to defend 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 added.
Shettima said the concerns of traders facing higher costs, graduates searching for work 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 said.
He also defended criticism as essential to democratic governance, saying the administration must remain open to useful ideas irrespective 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,” Mr Shettima said.
He urged the Arewa for Asiwaju campaign structure to serve not merely as an election platform but as a channel through which concerns from communities can reach 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,” he said.
The vice president said the administration’s priorities remain security, economic opportunity, poverty reduction, education and stronger public institutions.
“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.
Mr Shettima added that while elections create a deadline for political persuasion, the obligations of government continue beyond campaign periods.
“Even as elections impose a deadline upon persuasion, public service imposes no deadline upon our duty,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, stated that the inauguration of the A4A structure comes at a time when the region requires a strong, trusted platform to mobilize support for Tinubu.
He expressed confidence that the A4A structure in the northern region would help in telling the accurate story of President Tinubu’s transformational strides.
The National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentanwe Yilwatda, moved a motion for the northern region to support the re-election of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.
He outlined reasons why the region should mobilise massively for the president.
He noted that the region’s strong backing stems from the Vice President’s inclusive leadership and progressive mindset over the past three years.
This impact, Yilwatda added, is clearly demonstrated through the execution of landmark projects across multiple sectors and the strategic appointment of prominent local leaders to key positions.
The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, said history was beckoning on the north to act with wisdom, evidence and not sentiment in its decision to support Tinubu’s re-election.
The SGF said the north’s position and strength in driving Nigeria’s unity and progress must be leveraged in the forthcoming presidential elections in 2027.
Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano, who spoke on behalf of all the governors of the north, said the region would massively support the re-election of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket on the basis of the administration’s track record of performance.
He said the northern region’s support for the President in the forthcoming elections would be based on its conviction to uphold fairness, equity, unity and the progress of the country.
The former Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, stated that the emergence of the group was not accidental, but rather born out of the conviction that Tinubu has performed well and deserves to be re-elected.
Mr Badaru, who is the Director-General of A4A assured the President and APC leadership that the message of continuity and completion of the Tinubu administration’s transformational works would be taken to every nook and cranny of the north.
NAN