Kaduna metropolis was filled to the brim as from Friday when party supporters and government officials converged on the former capital of Northern Nigeria, for the flag-off of the 2027 APC presidential campaign on Saturday.
The Township stadium burst at the seams as people spilled out of the campaign venue onto Independence way and adjourning boulevards around the arena.
As early as 6am on Saturday, party members massed at the event’s venue, wearing T-shirts with party colors and logos, as well as apparels of various designs, bearing President Bola Tinubu’s picture or broken shackles symbol.
APC-led State Governors, Ministers of the Federal Government of Nigeria, members of the National Assembly, APC National Working Committee members, federal and state appointees were at the stadium.
Musicians kept the party faithful entertained as they waited for the event to kick off while supporters chanted the praises of their various Governors and President Tinubu.
Arriving in a coaster bus with Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governor Uba Sani and other dignitaries, the crowd greeted President Tinubu with a chorus of “Baba Oyoyo.”
Speaking during the flag off, President Bola Tinubu urged Nigerians to support his re-election, promising to sustain efforts towards economic recovery, prosperity and a better future for the youth.
Tinubu, who thanked Kaduna residents for their support during the 2023 presidential election, said he had returned to seek another mandate to continue his administration's policies and programmes.
The president dismissed criticisms of hunger and poverty bedevilling the nation, accusing previous administrations of creating the problems he is working to address.
Commending his administration for paying salaries regularly, President Tinubu praised APC governors for their efforts to develop their respective states.
He urged supporters to mobilise voters ahead of the January 16, 2027 election, calling on them to vote for APC candidates at the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state assembly levels.
“Your prosperity is here. Your future is in your hands. Your fingerprints on the ballot will determine it,” he said, warning supporters against misinformation and attempts to mislead voters.
Earlier, Governor Uba Sani thanked the president for significant federal government interventions in transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and human capital development.
The interventions has brought renewed hope to Kaduna State and other parts of Northern Nigeria, he said, adding that residents should support continuity in the 2027 election.
Governor Uba Sani highlighted the reconstruction of the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari 123 km road, saying N178bn has been released for the project, which had been abandoned for more than 40 years.
He recalled that Tinubu visited Birnin Gwari during the 2023 presidential campaign despite security concerns, where promised to improve security along the corridor.
The Governor told the gathering that ‘’today, you can travel to Birnin Gwari without a police escort. That is progress, Mr President, and we thank you for it.’’
He added that more than 300 schools and over 150 primary healthcare centres that had been closed because of insecurity in Kaduna State have been reopened.
He also thanked the president for the ongoing reconstruction of the Zaria-Soba-Kambuwa road and the proposed Kaduna metropolitan light rail project.
According to him, $865m had been approved for the rail project, while the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation have been mobilised with $300m.
On education, Sani said the North-West had received N84bn through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), supporting about 414,000 students across the region.
Also speaking, Senator AbdulAzeez Yari, Director-General of the Tinubu presidential campaign, said Kaduna was deliberately selected to host the campaign flag-off because of its political importance in Northern Nigeria.
Yari commended Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders for their preparations, saying the turnout reflects the collective efforts of party members across the country.
He dismissed claims that the federal government is working against farmers, as about two million have indicated their commitment to support Tinubu in the 2027 election because the administration has taken steps to improve their livelihoods.
The campaign director-general also defended the administration's economic policies, arguing that the country's foreign reserves have increased from about $33.9bn when Tinubu assumed office to approximately $54.7bn.
Yari called on traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, imams and other community leaders to mobilise support for the president, saying continuity is necessary for national development and peace.
“By God's grace, Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent behind you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we are determined to deliver our promise in the 2027 general election,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the APC had demonstrated its commitment to national unity and development through cooperation with state governments.
Shettima said the party won the 2023 election because Nigerians believed the alternative would have been disastrous for the country.
He also praised Kaduna residents for electing Governor Sani, saying his administration had helped promote unity across the state.
According to him, Kaduna has become a state where residents from different communities could regard one another as brothers and sisters, with the benefits of democracy extending beyond the metropolitan area.
Shettima said the federal government had supported educational development in Kaduna through the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia and the transition of the Federal College of Education, Zaria, into the University of Education.
The vice president said the administration had continued projects initiated by previous governments, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, the Kano-Maradi railway, the Lagos-Kano rail corridor and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.
Shettima also defended Tinubu's political relationship with Northern Nigeria, citing his past support for northern political leaders seeking the presidency, recalling his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after he left the PDP.
According to him, the president had consistently demonstrated political goodwill towards the North and urged the region to reciprocate by supporting his re-election bid.