Give me second term, I promise prosperity, Tinubu appeals to Nigerians at Kaduna rally

•Blames opposition for hunger, poverty in the land •North will return President, Yari declares
•Your govt created hunger, poverty for Nigerians, Atiku fires back •APC shows declining acceptance —ADC
campaign council • APC National Secretary tasks former lawmakers to mobilise support for Tinubu

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pleaded with Nigerians to give him another chance to continue the good work he has started.

He said his administration has offered Nigerians prosperity, growth, recovery and opportunity.

Speaking at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, Tinubu accused his opponents of relying on hate rather than presenting credible alternatives. He appealed to supporters to vote for the APC at all levels, including the presidency, governorships, the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly.

Tinubu also commended APC governors for what he described as development efforts in their respective states.

He further accused opposition parties of creating hunger and poverty in the country and now criticising his administration for it, insisting that his government is working to address the economic challenges facing Nigerians.

“I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created hunger. They created poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” the president said.

He urged Nigerians to support his administration’s policies, saying the government is committed to regular payment of salaries and creating opportunities for citizens.

Tinubu also called on eligible voters to ensure they have their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and to participate in the forthcoming elections.

“Do you have your PVC? Do you have your PVC? Show your hands,” he asked the crowd while urging them to go out and vote for the APC on election day.

North will repay you with votes, Uba Sani tells Tinubu

Earlier in his welcome address, Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, said the people of Northern Nigeria will repay Tinubu for his administration’s interventions in the region.

The governor recalled Tinubu’s visit to Birnin Gwari during the 2023 presidential campaign, when the area was grappling with insecurity, saying the president had fulfilled promises on road construction and security.

He cited the ongoing reconstruction of the Zaria–Funtua–Gusau–Sokoto road and improvements in security in Birnin Gwari.

Sani also listed the reopening of more than 300 schools and over 150 primary healthcare centres previously shut because of insecurity as achievements of his administration, alongside federal interventions.

He further commended the ongoing Abuja–Kaduna expressway reconstruction, saying about 95 per cent of the project had been completed.

On education, the governor said the North-West had benefited from about N250bn in student loans, supporting lots of students. He also cited federal support for young people and artisans as part of efforts to improve livelihoods in the region.

The governor said the interventions had provided reasons for the North to appreciate Tinubu’s leadership, adding that the region’s support should be based on the administration’s record rather than regional or political sentiment alone.

Sani also warned the APC against underestimating opposition campaigns, saying political opponents had moved beyond Facebook and X to use artificial intelligence (AI). He urged party members to remain vigilant against what he described as campaigns lacking substantive ideas.

He assured Tinubu of continued support from the North, saying the region would judge the president by his record and the impact of his administration’s policies and projects.

North will return Tinubu, Yari declares

In his own address, Senator representing Zamfara West and Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Abdullaziz Yari, declared that stakeholders in the North have resolved to work for Tinubu for a fresh mandate.

He maintained that the achievements of the present administration in the last three years were enough of a record to showcase to convince the electorate in the North.

“It is where we are: Kaduna, the spiritual centre of politics in Northern Nigeria, with all the governors of Northern Nigeria.

“Mr President, we have seen what you have been doing. We have seen what is on the ground. If we talk about the economy, we know the state of the economy when you stepped into the leadership of this country. Today, the total indices have changed completely to the advantage of Nigeria and other countries of the world.

“Mr President, I can enumerate at least a few: from the exchange rate to the subsidy removal and many more.

“Sir, this is not all there is to the economy, but if you come to the trade balance, then we talk about politics, as in the 2023 election. I would like to be a student again, to be told how you did it, because we want the country.” We Nigerians, at the head of this campaign, are going to campaign with our records.

Our records are there. The infrastructure is there. What you did in health, education and human capital development is there. The students are there. The transparent cash and conditional cash transfers are also there for men and women. Mr President, this is where we are. We are committed.

We have been engaging all and sundry, our traditional rulers, our ulama and our imams, to understand the importance of your return in 2027 for continuity, for the peace of this country and for Nigeria,” the lawmaker said.

Making insinuations of agang-up against a fresh mandate for Tinubu by certain elders in the region, the former Zamfara State governor maintained that the North would not undermine the understanding of power rotation between the North and South in the country.

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“We believe in you, and those people believe in us.

All the shakers and movers of this part of the country are here. In the northern part of the country, anybody who is not here today, Mr President, then there is nobody there. We are here.

“We are committed to justice. We are committed to what we are taught to be, and that is how we are going to be.

“By God’s grace, Your Excellency, Mr President, we resolve, by God’s grace, that as far as Northern Nigeria is concerned, Mr President, I need your ears. Mr President, I want you to listen to us carefully. Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent for you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by God’s grace, Insha Allah. And the promise we have made, you are going to see it on January 16, 2027.”

Ex-Jigawa governor Badaru hails massive turnout at Kaduna rally

Also speaking at the campaign flag-off, former Jigawa State governor and Director-General of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, expressed satisfaction with the massive turnout of supporters at Tinubu’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna, describing the mobilisation efforts of the movement as a major success.

Badaru, who hailed the enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by members and supporters at Saturday’s rally, disclosed that A4A exceeded its initial mobilisation target, demonstrating what he described as the movement’s growing grassroots strength across Northern Nigeria.

The former governor said the impressive participation of supporters from different parts of the North reflected the effectiveness of A4A’s mobilisation structures and the collective determination of its members to support Tinubu’sre-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku faults Tinubu’s claim that opposition created hunger and poverty. Reacting to Tinubu’s claims at the Kaduna rally that the opposition created hunger and poverty, former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, asked the President to take responsibility for the current economic situation.

Speaking through the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC PCC, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the hardship being experienced by Nigerians is real and should be addressed.

“Mr President, blaming the opposition for hunger does not address the issues. The APC has governed Nigeria for over eleven years, including eight years before you took office and three and a half years under your administration. Nigerians know who has been in power,” the former vice-president said.

“Your decision to commission the unfinished Abuja to Kaduna Expressway from inside a stadium shows how far removed you are from the daily reality of Nigerians. A road cannot be completed with a speech or ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

Atiku raised questions on the economic decisions of the administration, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and the naira exchange rate, which moved from about N471 to N1,329 to the dollar.

“Which administration removed the petrol subsidy and watched the naira fall from about N471 to N1,329 to the dollar? Which administration has presided over a rise in poverty that led the World Bank to estimate that 63 percent of Nigerians will be below the national poverty line in 2026?” he asked.

The ADC presidential candidate also raised questions about budget implementation and spending.

“Which administration extended the 2024 budget into 2025 while also operating a separate 2025 budget? Which administration recorded N7.13 trillion under ‘energy security’ in 2024 and faces questions over N11.2 trillion in NNPC pipeline-related spending?” Atiku said, adding that Nigerians deserve to

know what was delivered. He further questioned the external accounts, financing charges, and the security situation.

“Which administration must explain the $12.4 billion gap flagged in Nigeria’s external accounts for the first half of 2026? Which administration paid $22.5 million in ‘other charges’ on the Abu Dhabi financing facility? Which administration is responsible for the killings, kidnappings and displacement that continue to affect communities?” he asked.

Atiku said the 2027 presidential election will be a referendum on the current administration’s record.

APC shows declining acceptance —ADC campaign council

Similarly, the ADC PCC has described the APC North-West zonal flag-off rally in Kaduna as a monumental disappointment.

In a statement, the Director of Media and Publicity of theADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the event intended to demonstrate the APC’s political strength across the North-West exposed declining public acceptance.

Reacting to the rally held at the Kaduna Township Stadium, Ologbondiyan alleged that the APC mobilised people from the seven states of theNorth-West and beyond with payments reportedly ranging from N50,000 to N100,000per person, yet the stadium remained sparsely occupied. He added that the turnout was compounded by the unenthusiastic reception given to the speeches and messages of APC leaders.

The ADC-PCC director also criticised President Bola AhmedTinubu’s reported commissioning of road projects at the event, questioning the administration’sclaims of performance.

Ologbondiyan further alleged that some attendeesexpressed dissatisfactionwith the ruling party after leaving the stadium, chanting the Hausa phrase “Ba muyi”, which he interpreted as a rejection of the APC and its policies.

“You can rent a crowd, but you cannot rent acceptance.

Even if people attend a rally, that does not mean they have surrendered their convictions.

The real test of public support is what Nigerians will decide at the ballot box,” he said.

The ADC-PCC said the APC returned to Kaduna with promises similar to those made during the 2015, 2019and 2023 election cycles, arguing that the ruling party had not adequately accounted for its years in power.

It also faulted President Tinubu for shifting the responsibility for the hardship facing Nigerians to opposition leaders rather than addressing the economic consequences of his administration’s policies. Ologbondiyan criticised thePresident’s position on fuel subsidy removal, which theADC-PCC maintains has intensified the economic burden on households.

The council urged the APC to apologise to Nigerians over the prevailing economic difficulties and prepare for a transfer of power in 2027.

It maintained that the APC represents a credible alternative for Nigerians seeking a change in leadership.

APC National Secretary tasks former lawmakers to mobilise support for Tinubu, showcase his achievements

In another development, the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, has called on former presiding officers of State Houses of Assembly across Nigeria to leverage their political experience and grassroots influence to mobilise massive support for President Bola AhmedTinubu’s re-election in 2027. Speaking at the weekend in Abuja at a programme organised by the Kaduna State Chapter of the Former Presiding Officers of State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria, the APC National Secretary described the participants as experienced political actors whose electoral victories and years of public service had equipped them with the knowledge and strategic capacity required to contribute meaningfully to the President’s re-electioncampaign.

At the event with the theme”Kaduna 2026: United Voices of Experience, All Together for Tinubu 2027,” Senator Basiru maintained that their experience places them in a strategic position to educate Nigerians on the rationale behind the Tinubu administration’seconomic reforms, counter opposition narratives, and strengthen grassroots support for the ruling party.