Vice-President Kashim Shettima says growing support in northern Nigeria for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid is not a “blank cheque”.
Shettima spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the unveiling of the
Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) campaign head office and the inauguration of the
northern group’s campaign structure for the 2027 presidential election.
He said the administration must earn voters’ confidence
through transparency, accountability and measurable results.
Shettima added that the growing political support for Tinubu
placed a responsibility on the administration and its supporters to explain the
impact of its reforms on Nigerians.
“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,” Shettima said.
“Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no
officeholder should ever underestimate.”
The vice-president said the administration must base its
campaign for a second term on its record and demonstrate how another four years
would benefit 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 also said the north had nothing to fear from
Tinubu’s second term, stressing that leaders must remain accountable to
citizens.
‘OUR CITIZENS HAVE ENDURED DIFFICULT ADJUSTMENTS’
The vice-president acknowledged that Nigerians had endured
difficult economic adjustments, warning supporters against dismissing citizens’
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 grappling with higher
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 an essential part of
democratic governance, saying the administration should remain open to ideas
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 serve as a channel
through which concerns from communities could reach government officials.
“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 said the administration’s priorities
included security, economic opportunities, poverty reduction, education and
stronger public institutions.
“The farmer should be able to cultivate in safety. A child’s
education should prepare that child for a productive life. Public institutions
should give citizens confidence that effort can yield opportunity,” he said.
He added that the responsibilities of governance would
continue beyond the election campaign.
“Even as elections impose a deadline upon persuasion, public
service imposes no deadline upon our duty,” he said.
YILWATDA URGES NORTH TO BACK TINUBU, SHETTIMA
Nentawe Yilwatda, national chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), urged northern Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election,
citing Shettima’s leadership and what he described as the administration’s
achievements.
Yilwatda said Shettima had fostered an inclusive political
environment by bringing together people from different religious and ethnic
backgrounds.
“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 called for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket to be
returned for a second term.
“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,” he said.
Earlier, Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, said the
inauguration of the A4A structure came at a time when the north needed a
trusted platform to mobilise support for Tinubu.
Barau said the group would help communicate what he
described as the administration’s achievements across the region.
AKUME, NORTHERN GOVERNORS BACK SECOND TERM
George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation
(SGF), said the north should make its decision on the 2027 elections on
evidence and an assessment of the administration’s record rather than
sentiment.
Akume also called for the region’s influence to be harnessed
to promote national unity and development.
Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, who spoke on behalf of
northern governors, said the region would support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket
based on the administration’s performance.
He said region’s support for the president would reflect a
commitment to fairness, equity, unity and national progress.
Abubakar Badaru, former Jigawa governor and director-general
of A4A, said the group was formed out of the conviction that 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 was attended by serving 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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