The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and six All Progressives Congress (APC) governors from Nigeria’s North-Central region have endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for a second term in office in 2027.
The endorsement was announced at the North-Central Grand Rally for Tinubu and Shettima’s re-election, held on Saturday in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Akume, who is the Grand Patron of the North-Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, proposed Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate of the region for the 2027 election.
“By the authority of this great congregation, I, Senator George Akume, hereby propose that the people of the North-Central states meeting here have resolved that, come 2027, our sole candidate is His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no other candidate,” he said.
Akume urged political stakeholders to uphold the power-rotation arrangement reportedly reached by political leaders in Kaduna in 1999, arguing that Tinubu should be allowed to complete an eight-year tenure to promote political balance between the North and South.
He described Tinubu as a leader with a clear vision and the determination to implement major reforms, citing infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed Badagry-Sokoto Highway as initiatives capable of stimulating economic growth and improving connectivity.
The SGF also highlighted increased federal allocations to state and local governments, describing them as measures that had strengthened the capacity of subnational administrations to address developmental challenges.
On the removal of the petrol subsidy, Akume said the decision required political courage, warning against promises to reverse the policy without carefully considering the economic consequences.
He further cited the establishment of additional universities and the introduction of student loan schemes as efforts to expand access to higher education.
In his remarks, Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North-Central Governors Forum, Abdullahi Sule, seconded the motion for Tinubu and Shettima’s re-election on behalf of the APC governors in the region.
Sule praised the administration’s performance in oil production, foreign reserves, capital market development, education financing and infrastructure, saying the governors were committed to supporting the President’s second-term bid.
The APC governors from Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, alongside political stakeholders from the Federal Capital Territory, pledged their support for the re-election campaign.
The party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, also expressed confidence in the region’s support for Tinubu, urging residents to sustain their commitment to the APC from the national level to the grassroots.
Yilwatda told the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, that the President had made significant contributions to the North-Central region and called on party supporters to mobilise for the 2027 elections.
In her address, the First Lady conveyed the President’s goodwill message to the region, highlighting his administration’s stated commitment to national security, unity and economic prosperity.
She referred to Tinubu’s October 1 Independence Day address, titled From Reforms to Prosperity, saying the administration’s reform agenda was designed to lay the foundation for improved economic conditions and wider prosperity.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who is the Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu and Shettima’s re-election, reaffirmed the APC and the Progressive Governors Forum’s commitment to mobilising support for the President.
He said the visit was intended to demonstrate solidarity with the North-Central region and strengthen cooperation among party leaders, governors and grassroots supporters ahead of the general elections.
The six APC governors took turns at the rally to pledge their support for Tinubu and Shettima, as well as other party candidates contesting the 2027 elections.
