Vice-President Kashim Shettima has warned that growing support in northern Nigeria for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid must not be taken for granted, insisting that the administration must earn voters’ confidence through accountability, transparency and measurable results.
Shettima spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the unveiling of the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) campaign headquarters and the inauguration of the coalition’s campaign structure for the 2027 presidential election.
He said the growing support for Tinubu placed a responsibility on the administration and its supporters to explain how government policies had affected Nigerians and what another four years would deliver.
“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, we have spoken,” he said.
“Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no officeholder should ever underestimate.”
The Vice-President stressed that the administration must base its campaign for a second term on its record and demonstrate how another four years would serve the interests of Nigerians.
“The mandate belongs to the people. We must account for its use and explain how another term would advance their interests,” he said.
Shettima acknowledged the economic difficulties facing households, warning supporters against dismissing public concerns or relying on political slogans to defend government policies.
“Our citizens have endured difficult adjustments. We cannot pretend otherwise,” he said.
“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 said the experiences of traders facing rising costs, graduates searching for jobs and families struggling with daily expenses must inform government decisions.
“A failed policy enters somebody’s home as a missed meal, an unpaid school fee or an opportunity lost,” he said.
Shettima also described criticism as essential to democracy, urging the administration to remain open to ideas and concerns regardless 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,” he said.
He urged the A4A campaign structure to provide a channel through which complaints from communities could reach government officials and receive attention.
“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 listed security, economic opportunities, poverty reduction, education and stronger public institutions among the administration’s priorities.
He said farmers should be able to work safely, children should receive education that prepares them for productive lives, and public institutions should give citizens confidence that hard work could lead to opportunities.
“Even as elections impose a deadline upon persuasion, public service imposes no deadline upon our duty,” he added.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, urged northerners to support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for a second term, citing what he described as the administration’s achievements and Shettima’s inclusive leadership.
Yilwatda said the Vice-President had brought people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds together through engagement and dialogue.
“He has built an inclusive environment, bringing all of us together, ensuring that whether you are Christian, Muslim, whether you are of different faith, different religion, different tribe, he has brought us together under one shelter, always talking to us and engaging us,” he said.
The APC chairman added: “So we have a reason to back him, to support him, and the two of them, the joint ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Shettima, should be returned for a second term.”
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the inauguration of the A4A campaign structure came at a time when the North needed a platform to mobilise support for Tinubu and communicate the administration’s achievements.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, urged the North to assess the administration’s record before making its decision on the 2027 elections, rather than allowing sentiment to influence its choice.
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, who spoke on behalf of northern governors, also pledged support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, saying the region’s backing would reflect a commitment to fairness, equity, unity and national progress.
Former Jigawa State governor and A4A Director-General Abubakar Badaru said the coalition was formed because its members believed Tinubu and Shettima had performed well and deserved another term.
Badaru pledged to take the campaign for continuity and the completion of the administration’s projects to communities across northern Nigeria.
The event attracted members of the National Assembly, ministers, presidential aides, heads of government agencies, former governors and other political leaders from the North.
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