North-central group backs Tinubu for re-election, says 2027 victory ‘done deal’

The North Central Agenda (NCA), a political advocacy group, has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

Ene Ogbole, convener of the NCA, said during a one-day conference on the development of the north-central under the renewed hope Agenda, held in Abuja, that Tinubu’s victory in the zone in the 2027 presidential election is a “done deal”.

Ogbole also dismissed renewed criticism of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, saying Nigerians settled the debate during the 2023 general election.

‘TINUBU HAS TRANSFORMED NORTH-CENTRAL’

She said the north-central had suffered years of infrastructure deficits and insecurity before Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.

She noted that the administration’s policies had brought “renewed hope and visible progress” through investments in roads, agriculture, education and security.

Ogbole listed the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Kogi–Nasarawa–Abuja superhighway, the Sokoto–Badagry superhighway, the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Maiduguri highway, the Suleja–Minna dual carriageway and the Lokoja–Okene dualisation project among major infrastructure projects benefiting the region.

She also cited interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the administration had expanded access to education and ended the era of prolonged industrial actions in tertiary institutions.

According to her, improved security has enabled farmers to return to their farms while businesses are gradually reopening.

“The fair and judicious spread of capital projects to all the geopolitical zones by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has changed the narratives from negative to positive, from neglect to recognition… and now to socio-economic structural and infrastructural transformation of the entire north-central zone,” she said.

Ogbole said the group would mobilise support across the six north-central states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure Tinubu’s re-election.

“Consequently, we are pledging to mobilise massively like never before across the entire North Central states to support the re-election of the president that has brought us from doom to the dawn of a new era,” she said.

“For us as the mouthpiece of the north-central people, this re-election is a done deal as we will stop at nothing within the confines of the law to ensure that his victory is secured.”

George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), represented by Babatunde Benard, his senior assistant (technical), said Tinubu’s reforms are laying the foundation for Nigeria’s long-term prosperity.

Benard said the administration had taken difficult but necessary decisions to reposition the economy.

“The president is a trailblazer. He is taking decisions that may not produce instant results, but they are the kind of reforms that will secure Nigeria’s future,” he said.

He highlighted the student loan scheme and ongoing road projects as key achievements of the administration, saying investments in infrastructure would drive economic growth.

‘MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET DEBATE SETTLED IN 2023’

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Umar Yakasai, director-general of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), dismissed renewed criticism of the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket by Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano.

Yakasai said the issue had lost political relevance because Nigerians had already endorsed the ticket during the 2023 presidential election.

“In the 2023 general election, many people thought the Muslim-Muslim ticket would stop Tinubu. He won,” he said.

“Today, the north-central has become one of the major beneficiaries of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“Kwankwaso should know better. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proven that he is President for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe or religion.

“If he were President only for Muslims, Kwankwaso himself would not have accepted to serve as running mate to a Christian presidential candidate.”

Yakasai also rejected claims that the Tinubu administration favours the south-west in federal appointments, insisting that appointments have been fairly distributed across regions and religious groups. (TheCable)