2027: Shettima Urges Northerners to Repay Tinubu’s Support With Votes

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians in the North to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying the President deserves political reciprocity for his longstanding support for the region.

Shettima made the appeal on Saturday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State.

He said Tinubu had consistently identified with Northern political leaders and supported their ambitions over the years, arguing that the region should reciprocate the gesture by voting for him in the next presidential election.

According to the Vice-President, Tinubu’s political relationship with the North dates back several years and includes his support for prominent Northern politicians seeking national office.

Shettima recalled that when former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had a political disagreement with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Tinubu provided him with a platform to contest the presidency in 2007.

He said the then Lagos State governor offered Atiku political support through the Action Congress, enabling him to pursue his presidential ambition after leaving the PDP.

Shettima also cited Tinubu’s support for former President Muhammadu Buhari during his presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019 as evidence of his political commitment to the North.

He maintained that Tinubu had worked to promote the ambitions of Northern politicians and urged voters in the region to demonstrate appreciation by supporting his second-term bid.

The Vice-President further called on Nigerians to renew the APC’s mandate, insisting that the administration deserved another term to continue its policies and programmes.

Shettima defended the Tinubu administration’s performance, citing projects and interventions in education, healthcare, transportation and infrastructure across Northern Nigeria.

Among the projects he highlighted were the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the transition of the Federal College of Education in Zaria into a university of education, and the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.

He also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, the Kano-Maradi railway, the Lagos-Kano rail corridor and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road.

Shettima said the Federal Government was also advancing work on the Sokoto-Badagry highway, which he described as an important route for expanding agricultural production and economic opportunities.

He expressed confidence that continued support for the administration would bring further development to the region.

The campaign appeal comes amid growing political activity ahead of the 2027 general election, with the APC seeking to consolidate its support in the North while opposition candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), are preparing to challenge Tinubu at the polls.