Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged northern political leaders and residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, saying the region has benefited from his administration and stands to gain more from a second term.
Shettima made the call on Monday, October 12, 2026, when he received a delegation of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a political support group campaigning for Tinubu’s re-election, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Vice-President called on northern leaders and residents to unite behind the administration, arguing that continued support for Tinubu would promote development and improve the welfare of people in the region.
He said the North had benefited from appointments into government positions, economic programmes and infrastructure projects under the current administration.
According to Shettima, the government’s agricultural interventions have particularly benefited northern farmers.
He cited loans worth N450 billion provided by the Bank of Agriculture to 700,000 smallholder farmers across Nigeria, claiming that approximately 70 per cent of the beneficiaries were from the North.
“We should unite as a people and work for the development of our region and the progress of our people by re-electing this government. We are benefiting, and we have the opportunity to continue benefiting from this government in many ways,” Shettima said.
He added that Tinubu was committed to the development of the North and assured the delegation that the President would continue working for the region.
The Vice-President commended A4A for its support for Tinubu and urged the group to intensify its mobilisation efforts at the grassroots, particularly across local governments, constituencies and communities in northern Nigeria.
Speaking during the visit, A4A Director-General and former Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, said the group would sustain its mobilisation efforts to secure northern support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in 2027.
Badaru said the organisation was engaging religious leaders, including Muslim and Christian clerics, as well as other influential Nigerians, to explain why it believes the President deserves another term.
He disclosed that discussions with prominent stakeholders were already underway, adding that the group’s board of trustees would continue engaging them to consolidate support for the administration.
Badaru also said A4A was supporting the Presidential Campaign Council in areas where its involvement was required, while maintaining a strong focus on grassroots mobilisation.
The group, he explained, intends to strengthen its engagement with voters at the local government and constituency levels ahead of the 2027 general election.
Also speaking, Chairman of A4A’s Board of Trustees and former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, said the organisation, which supported Tinubu’s election in 2023, was preparing to mobilise support for his re-election.
Shekarau said A4A had held meetings with northern governors and other stakeholders to exchange views and develop strategies for achieving its political objective.
He added that the group had completed plans to establish a full secretariat to improve coordination and strengthen its operations across the region.
According to him, the proposed secretariat would house directors’ offices, while state coordinators would submit reports, provide assessments and receive operational directives.
Shekarau also invited Shettima to formally inaugurate the group’s new office building on Saturday, October 17, 2027.
Among those present at the meeting were former Plateau State governors Joshua Dariye and Simon Lalong; former Taraba State Governor Jolly Nyame; former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello; former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema; former Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda; the President’s Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman; and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Chairman Buba Marwa.
Other attendees included senior government officials and members of A4A’s board of trustees and secretariat.
