Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the North to reciprocate President Bola Tinubu’s past support for northern political leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the late President Muhammadu Buhari, by backing his re-election bid in 2027.
Shettima said Tinubu had stood by northern leaders at critical moments in Nigeria’s political history, arguing that the president deserved similar loyalty from the region ahead of the next presidential election.
The vice president spoke on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off at Ranchers Bees Stadium, Kaduna, where he highlighted Tinubu’s political alliances, defended the administration’s record and urged voters to support the party in the 2027 elections.
Recalling Tinubu’s political engagements with northern leaders, Shettima said the president supported Atiku when the former vice president left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and sought an alternative platform ahead of the 2007 presidential election.
He also cited Tinubu’s support for former presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and his backing of Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
According to Shettima, Tinubu’s history of political cooperation with northern leaders should inform the region’s decision on whom to support in 2027.
“This explains why we have all stood with him. To declare why Arewa support for you. This is a mark of honour and our faith in a man of honour,” he said.
The vice president said the North’s support for Tinubu was rooted in gratitude and confidence in his leadership, urging voters to consider the president’s political history and the administration’s performance.
“We have come to you with a heart full of gratitude. Gratitude for standing with us. Gratitude for believing in us,” Shettima said.
He also defended the Tinubu administration against criticism over the country’s economic difficulties, saying the government had continued to pursue national stability and economic recovery despite political disagreements and what he described as falsehoods and hypocrisy.
Turning to Kaduna State politics, Shettima urged residents to renew Governor Uba Sani’s mandate and vote for APC candidates across all elective positions.
He said the Kaduna State Government had taken steps to strengthen the state’s position as a centre of learning, citing the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, and the transition of the Federal University of Education, Zaria.
Shettima also highlighted vocational education initiatives in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf, claiming that more than 4,000 people had graduated from the institutions.
He further cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as an initiative aimed at expanding access to higher education, particularly for students from less privileged backgrounds.
On infrastructure, the vice president listed the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, Kano-Maradi Railway, Lagos-Kano rail corridor and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road among projects he said were making progress under successive administrations.
He also referenced the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, saying the project would create opportunities for agricultural production and economic activities.
Shettima maintained that the APC’s development initiatives in Kaduna and other parts of the country reflected the party’s commitment to national cohesion and economic growth.
He urged the North to sustain its political relationship with Tinubu, arguing that the president’s past support for northern leaders, alongside the administration’s ongoing projects, provided reasons for the region to back his re-election bid in 2027.
2027: Tinubu Stood by Atiku, Buhari, Others; North Should Reciprocate — Shettima
