Shettima Urges Northern Support for Tinubu’s Re-election

By Atlantic Reports

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged northern leaders and residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the administration’s policies and programmes would advance the region’s development.

Shettima spoke on Monday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from Arewa for Tinubu (A4A), a northern-based think tank supporting the President’s second-term bid.

“The North has no reason to be scared of the re-election of President Tinubu,” he said.

He called for unity around the administration’s re-election campaign, saying the North’s progress and well-being remained priorities for the government.

Agricultural funding cited

Shettima pointed to appointments, infrastructure projects and agricultural support as evidence of the administration’s engagement with the region.

He said the Bank of Agriculture had disbursed ₦450 billion to 700,000 smallholder farmers nationwide, with about 70 per cent of beneficiaries coming from the North.

The figures were presented by the Vice-President. The supplied account did not identify the disbursement period, financing terms or state-by-state distribution, and did not provide data on agricultural outcomes.

Shettima also said the administration was working to complete major projects, although the account did not name them or provide completion schedules.

“I can assure you that the President loves the North and will work for the region,” he said.

His assurance that the region would benefit further represents a political pledge. Assessing it will require evidence of programme delivery and improvements in livelihoods and public services.

Group outlines mobilisation plans

A4A Director-General and former Jigawa Governor Abubakar Badaru said the organisation would work to secure northern support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in 2027.

He said its engagement would include Muslim and Christian clerics, prominent Nigerians and community stakeholders.

Badaru added that the group would complement the Presidential Campaign Council by concentrating on contacts across local government areas and wards.

The organisation’s Board of Trustees Chairman, former Kano Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, said A4A had supported Tinubu in the 2023 election and intended to repeat that effort in 2027.

He said the group had been engaging northern governors and other stakeholders on possible collaboration.

Shekarau also announced plans for a secretariat where directors and state coordinators would review reports and coordinate members’ activities. He invited Shettima to commission the office complex on October 17.

The meeting combined the administration’s case for continuity with the group’s plans to build electoral support. For voters, the strength of that case will depend on how the claimed benefits compare with their experience of farming, employment, security and essential services.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.