2027 elections: North owes Tinubu a lot – Kaduna APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state has said Northern Nigeria owes President Bola Tinubu considerable political gratitude for what it described as his longstanding support for northern presidential aspirants, urging voters in the region to recognise his political history ahead of the 2027 general election.

The party said Tinubu had repeatedly supported northern politicians seeking the presidency, even when they were competing against candidates from his own region, arguing that his political alliances demonstrated a commitment to national inclusion and the principle that every part of Nigeria should have an opportunity to lead. Blueprint reports

The Kaduna APC Publicity Secretary, Mohamed Sani Haruna, stated this on Monday during a media briefing in Kaduna ahead of the planned flag-off of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign in the state on October 24.

Haruna cited Tinubu’s political relationships with the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu and former President Muhammadu Buhari as examples of what he described as the President’s support for northern political aspirations over several decades.

He said the party considered the selection of Kaduna as the venue for the campaign flag-off another indication of Tinubu’s regard for the North, describing the city as a strategic political centre with historical and emotional significance across the region.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the few Nigerians in living memory who has shown support, both in action and in spirit, for the aspiration of Northern Nigeria to lead the country,” Haruna said.

He argued that the President’s political record should be considered in assessing his relationship with the North as the country approaches another presidential election.

According to him, Tinubu’s support for northern candidates at different points in Nigeria’s political history demonstrated that his political choices had not always been determined by regional considerations.

Haruna recalled that Tinubu supported the political network associated with the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua in the early 1990s, which later became associated with the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He also cited Tinubu’s role in providing a political platform for Atiku Abubakar to contest the presidency in 2007 after the former vice-president fell out with the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The APC spokesman further referenced the 2011 presidential election, when Tinubu and his political allies supported Ribadu’s candidacy under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the political alliance that helped bring Buhari to power in 2015.

Haruna said those episodes demonstrated that Tinubu had, over the years, supported presidential ambitions from Northern Nigeria even when he was not the candidate.

He also argued that Tinubu did not publicly disparage Buhari’s administration during the latter’s eight years in office, describing this as another indication of his respect for the former president and the North.

Haruna’s remarks were presented as the Kaduna APC’s political assessment of Tinubu’s record. The party did not provide a framework for measuring the extent of the North’s alleged political obligation to the President, nor did it suggest that voters in the region were united in their assessment of his presidency.

Kaduna to host campaign flag-off

The Kaduna APC publicity secretary said the state was fully prepared to host Tinubu and other party leaders for the campaign flag-off scheduled for October 24.

He described the choice of Kaduna as a significant gesture towards the North, noting that the city served as the former capital of Northern Nigeria and remained a meeting point for people from different ethnic, religious and regional backgrounds.

According to him, Kaduna’s historical position gives it a special place in the political consciousness of many Northerners, making it an appropriate location for the launch of a campaign intended to mobilise support across the region.

Haruna said the state was not merely pleased to have been selected as host but was also preparing to receive the President and other participants in the event.

He praised Governor Uba Sani for what he described as an inclusive leadership style, saying the administration had helped improve relations among communities and political groups across the state.

The spokesman said the APC intended to mobilise hundreds of thousands of supporters for the event and was confident that the gathering would demonstrate the party’s organisational strength ahead of the election.

He also praised Tinubu for appointing Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General of the President’s campaign, describing the appointment as another indication of the President’s confidence in northern political leaders.

APC targets two million votes

Haruna said the Kaduna APC was working towards delivering two million votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the target announced by Governor Uba Sani was achievable.

He attributed the party’s confidence to its claimed expansion across the state’s 23 local government areas, 255 wards, 16 federal constituencies and three senatorial districts.

According to Haruna, the APC now holds all elected positions across Kaduna State, which he described as evidence of the party’s growing acceptance under Uba Sani.

He said the situation represented a significant departure from the political environment before the 2023 general election, when opposition parties secured important victories across the state.

However, the two-million-vote figure remains the APC’s stated target, rather than an independently verified projection. Haruna did not present voter-turnout estimates or other data to demonstrate how the party intended to achieve the target.

His assertion that the state no longer has an opposition presence was also a political claim, not a declaration that opposition parties had ceased to operate in Kaduna.

2023 setback and Uba Sani’s leadership

Responding to questions about the APC’s performance in the 2023 elections, Haruna acknowledged that the party had suffered a significant setback in Kaduna, where Atiku Abubakar won the presidential election and the PDP secured all three senatorial seats.

He attributed the outcome to public dissatisfaction with the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, alleging that demolitions of houses and markets, the dismissal of workers and the handling of religious and ethnic differences had alienated sections of the electorate.

Haruna contrasted that record with what he described as Uba Sani’s more inclusive approach, arguing that the current governor had made efforts to accommodate residents irrespective of religion, ethnicity, social background or political affiliation.

He said communities in Southern Kaduna, which had traditionally supported opposition parties, had increasingly embraced the APC under the current administration.

The spokesman maintained that the party’s claim of widespread political control reflected what he described as a change in public perception of the state government.

He insisted that the APC’s confidence ahead of 2027 was based on its assessment of the political situation under Uba Sani, rather than mere campaign rhetoric.

The briefing also featured questions about whether the party risked underestimating its opponents by declaring that no opposition remained in the state, given the surprise victories opposition parties recorded in 2023.

Haruna maintained that the circumstances had changed and that the APC was now better positioned to mobilise support across Kaduna.

As the party prepares for the October 24 campaign flag-off, its message combines an appeal to the North to recognise Tinubu’s past political alliances with a promise that Kaduna will play a leading role in the President’s re-election campaign.

Whether the argument that the North owes Tinubu political gratitude resonates with voters remains to be seen. The 2027 election will ultimately be decided by voters, whose choices will reflect their individual assessments of the President’s record, the competing candidates and the issues they consider most important.