Why Northerners won’t vote Tinubu again – Makinde/Daura campaign

The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) on Friday challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain why Northerners should vote for him again, accusing his administration of failing to fulfil its promises to the region ahead of Saturday’s flag-off of his 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna State.

MDPCO is the campaign organisation of the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

The organisation described the planned campaign launch as a “mere political callithumpian,” arguing that insecurity, economic hardship, and the alleged marginalisation of the North have undermined Tinubu’s campaign promises.

MDPCO made the assertion on Friday evening through its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, just hours before the President’s scheduled campaign flag-off in Kaduna.

It challenged Tinubu to explain what the region has gained from his administration beyond killings, economic hardship, broken promises, and declining public trust.

It stated, “Since President Tinubu decided to flag off his 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna, the political headquarters of the North, we challenge him to explain what the region has gained from his incompetent and nepotic administration beyond a bumper harvest of bloodshed, crushing economic hardship, broken promises and shattered public trust.”

The organisation added that Nigerians expect nothing from the campaign beyond what it described as “lies”, “deceit”, vague promises, and unsubstantiated performance claims by leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recalling Tinubu’s campaign promise in Kaduna on December 13, 2022, the organisation quoted him as saying: “All those troublemakers, all those kidnappers, killers who are troubling the security of Kaduna and Northern Nigeria, I assure you, we will eliminate them.”

It noted that the President had also promised to secure every inch of Nigerian territory, but alleged that persistent attacks across the North-West and other parts of the country demonstrate that the security challenge remains unresolved.

The organisation claimed that at least 13,000 people have been killed in northern Nigeria since Tinubu assumed office in 2023, with many others abducted. It further estimated that about 3.7 million people have been internally displaced, leaving families shattered, businesses paralysed, and communities devastated.

Against this backdrop, the MDPCO said Tinubu’s assurance that Northerners would “never regret voting for him” has become an irony, arguing that residents of the region now have valid reasons to question their support for the APC.

The organisation also criticised what it described as misplaced government priorities, alleging that security agencies are protecting APC campaign billboards while vulnerable communities remain exposed to attacks.

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“Under Tinubu, political advertisements appear better protected than human lives,” it added.

MDPCO further alleged that the North has been marginalised in appointments to strategic federal positions, reinforcing what it described as the perception that the region is valued mainly for its electoral numbers.

It maintained that no part of the country should be treated as an electoral warehouse to be exploited every four years and abandoned after elections, insisting that Nigerians deserve security, affordable living, thriving farms, reliable electricity, quality education, and accountable leadership.

The organisation urged Tinubu to acknowledge what it described as his administration’s failures, arguing that Makinde offers a credible alternative through his Reset Nigeria agenda, which prioritises public welfare, security, and accountability.