By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
Kaduna metropolis witnessed a massive political gathering on Saturday as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu formally launched his re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general election, with thousands of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters converging on the city to demonstrate their support for the president.
The campaign flag-off transformed the Kaduna Township Stadium and its adjoining roads, including Independence Way, into a sea of party colours, as supporters thronged the venue from Friday in anticipation of the high-profile political event.
As early as 6 a.m. on Saturday, the stadium was already filling up with party faithful dressed in APC-branded T-shirts, colourful outfits and campaign materials bearing Tinubu’s image and the party’s broken-shackles symbol.
The gathering attracted APC governors, federal ministers, members of the National Assembly, members of the party’s National Working Committee, political appointees and other prominent party leaders from across the country.
Musicians entertained the crowd ahead of the commencement of proceedings, while supporters chanted solidarity songs in praise of their respective governors and President Tinubu.
The president arrived at the venue in a coaster bus alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other dignitaries, drawing enthusiastic chants of “Baba Oyoyo” from the crowd.
Addressing the gathering, Tinubu appealed to Nigerians to support his bid for a second term, promising to sustain his administration’s economic recovery efforts and pursue policies aimed at improving national prosperity and expanding opportunities for young people.
He thanked the people of Kaduna State for supporting him during the 2023 presidential election, saying he had returned to seek another mandate to consolidate the policies and programmes of his administration.
The president dismissed criticisms of hunger and poverty in the country, blaming previous administrations for some of the challenges his government was working to address.
He also defended his administration’s record on workers’ welfare, citing the regular payment of salaries, while commending APC governors for their efforts to advance development in their respective states.
Tinubu urged party supporters to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, calling on them to vote for APC candidates at the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state assembly levels.
“Your prosperity is here. Your future is in your hands. Your fingerprints on the ballot will determine it,” the president said.
He further cautioned supporters against misinformation and attempts to mislead voters, urging them to remain focused on the party’s campaign message.
## Uba Sani Highlights Federal Projects, Security Gains
Earlier, Governor Uba Sani expressed appreciation to Tinubu for what he described as significant federal government interventions in transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and human capital development.
He said the interventions had rekindled hope in Kaduna State and other parts of Northern Nigeria, urging residents to support continuity in the 2027 election.
The governor highlighted the reconstruction of the 123-kilometre Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road, stating that N178 billion had been released for the project, which he said had remained abandoned for more than four decades.
Recalling Tinubu’s visit to Birnin Gwari during the 2023 presidential campaign despite prevailing security concerns, Sani said the president had promised to improve security along the corridor.
According to the governor, the security situation has improved significantly, allowing residents to travel along the route with less fear.
“Today, you can travel to Birnin Gwari without a police escort. That is progress, Mr President, and we thank you for it,” he said.
Sani also disclosed that more than 300 schools and over 150 primary healthcare centres previously shut down because of insecurity in Kaduna State had reopened.
He further acknowledged the ongoing reconstruction of the Zaria-Soba-Kambuwa Road and the proposed Kaduna metropolitan light rail project as important infrastructure initiatives expected to support economic growth and mobility.
On the rail project, the governor said $865 million had been approved, adding that the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, had received $300 million in mobilisation funds.
Speaking on education, Sani said the North-West had received N84 billion through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), benefiting approximately 414,000 students across the region.
## Yari Says Kaduna Symbolises Northern Political Strength
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Tinubu presidential campaign, Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari, said Kaduna was deliberately chosen to host the campaign launch because of its strategic political importance in Northern Nigeria.
Yari commended Governor Sani and other APC leaders for organising the event, describing the massive turnout as evidence of the collective commitment of party members across the country.
He rejected claims that the federal government was working against farmers, arguing that the administration had taken steps to improve their livelihoods.
According to him, approximately two million farmers had indicated their willingness to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The campaign director-general also defended the administration’s economic policies, claiming that Nigeria’s foreign reserves had increased from about $33.9 billion when Tinubu assumed office to approximately $54.7 billion.
Yari called on traditional rulers, Islamic clerics, imams and other community leaders to mobilise support for the president, insisting that continuity was necessary for national development and stability.
“By God’s grace, Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent behind you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we are determined to deliver our promise in the 2027 general election,” he said.
## Shettima Defends Tinubu’s Northern Support Base
Vice President Kashim Shettima, in his remarks, said the APC had demonstrated its commitment to national unity and development through collaboration between the federal and state governments.
He maintained that Nigerians supported the APC in the 2023 election because they believed the alternative at the time would have been detrimental to the country.
Shettima also praised Kaduna residents for electing Governor Sani, crediting his administration with promoting unity among the state’s diverse communities.
According to the vice president, Kaduna had increasingly become a state where people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds could relate to one another as brothers and sisters, while democratic dividends extended beyond the state capital.
He cited federal government investments in education, including the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia and the conversion of the Federal College of Education, Zaria, into a university of education.
The vice president further listed major infrastructure projects being continued under Tinubu, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, the Kano-Maradi railway, the Lagos-Kano rail corridor and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.
Shettima also defended Tinubu’s political relationship with Northern Nigeria, pointing to what he described as the president’s history of supporting northern political leaders pursuing national leadership positions.
He recalled Tinubu’s political support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after the latter left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presenting the episode as evidence of the president’s longstanding political goodwill towards the region.
The vice president urged Northern Nigerians to reciprocate what he described as Tinubu’s goodwill by supporting his re-election bid in 2027.
The Kaduna rally marked a major mobilisation effort by the APC as the party seeks to consolidate its political base and secure another presidential mandate for Tinubu in the next general election.
