The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, and the six All Progressives Congress governors from the North-Central have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for a second term in 2027.
The endorsement came on Saturday at the North-Central Grand Rally in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital. The rally drew party leaders, governors and grassroots supporters from Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Akume is the Grand Patron of the North Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network for Tinubu/Shettima 2027. He put forward the President as the zone’s only candidate for next year’s presidential election, and the governors and stakeholders at the rally agreed.
“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, GCFR. There is no other candidate,” he said.
Rotation argument
The SGF urged political stakeholders to let Tinubu finish eight years in office. He said this was in line with the power-rotation understanding political leaders reached in Kaduna in 1999. According to him, the arrangement was meant to keep political balance and understanding between the North and the South.
Akume described Tinubu as a leader who “combines ambitious vision with decisive action.” He pointed to the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed Badagry-Sokoto Highway as projects that could open up economic opportunities and improve connectivity across the country.
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He also praised the administration’s approach to fiscal federalism. He said bigger allocations to states and local governments had helped subnational governments meet development needs.
On petrol subsidy removal, Akume said the policy had been debated by political leaders and presidential candidates for years, and that carrying it out took political courage. He warned against campaign promises to reverse it without a clear look at the economic consequences.
He also mentioned new universities and the student loan scheme as moves to widen access to tertiary education for young Nigerians, whatever their family background.
Governors’ pledge
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule chairs the North-Central Governors Forum. In his welcome address, he seconded the motion on behalf of the forum’s APC governors.
He listed what he called the administration’s achievements. He said oil production had risen from under one million to over 1.8 million barrels per day. He said foreign reserves had grown from under $20 billion to more than $50 billion. He also said capitalisation had increased from under N80 trillion to N180 trillion, and he cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and new infrastructure.
“I hereby move for the re-election of Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Kashim Shettima for the second tenure,” Sule said.
Later in the rally, each of the six governors pledged to work for the re-election of Tinubu and Shettima and for the victory of APC candidates at every level in the coming general elections.
First Lady, party leaders speak
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, told the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, that the North-Central was firmly behind the President. He said Tinubu had done for the region what no previous President had done, and he urged residents to back the party from the national level down to the grassroots.
The First Lady delivered the President’s goodwill message to the region and restated the administration’s commitment to security, unity and economic prosperity. She referred to the President’s October 1 Independence Day address, titled “From Reforms to Prosperity.” She said the reform agenda was meant to lay the foundation for better economic conditions.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma is Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council for the Tinubu/Shettima re-election bid. He said the APC and the Progressive Governors Forum remained committed to the North-Central. He described the visit as a show of solidarity meant to strengthen ties among party leaders, governors and grassroots supporters ahead of the polls.
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