The North Central Rainbow Network (NCRN), a coalition of political leaders, activists and young professionals drawn from the six states of the North Central geopolitical zone, has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.

The group also named Honourable Leke Abejide, the lawmaker representing Yagba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, as its Grand Patron.
The decisions were reached at a meeting of the Network held in Abuja on Wednesday.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, John Alli Oriri, the group said its membership cuts across major political parties, describing the coalition as a broad platform whose position on the 2027 election transcends partisan considerations.

The Network said its endorsement of Tinubu was based on what it described as the administration’s measurable achievements in security, infrastructure and economic reforms.
“President Tinubu has demonstrated uncommon courage in confronting the twin challenges of insecurity and underdevelopment in our region,” Oriri said.

He cited the Federal Government’s kinetic and non-kinetic security operations across the North Central, as well as the establishment of new military battalions, as evidence of the administration’s efforts to tackle terrorism, banditry and other security challenges.

The NCRN also praised the administration’s infrastructure programme, particularly ongoing road projects across the region.

Oriri specifically mentioned the dualisation and rehabilitation of the Gwagwalada-Lokoja road and ongoing work on the Lafia-Makurdi-Otukpo-Enugu corridor, alongside other major and emergency road projects.

The group said the Federal Government was executing 61 road projects across the North Central states, with several completed and others at various stages of construction.

According to the Network, the projects would improve connectivity, facilitate commerce and enhance the movement of agricultural produce from states including Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi and Plateau to major markets.

The group also highlighted what it described as broader gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda, including increased revenue accruals to states, expanded defence funding and the recruitment of additional security personnel.

It said the reforms demonstrated an administration focused on long-term structural transformation rather than short-term political populism.

The NCRN also commended Abejide for his support for the administration and his interventions in communities across the North Central.

“Honourable Leke Abejide has been a consistent and selfless partner in this journey,” Oriri said, adding that the lawmaker’s support had been matched by empowerment initiatives, scholarships, community projects and youth programmes.

The Network said Abejide’s designation as Grand Patron was in recognition of both his legislative contributions and his alleged commitment to community development.

“By naming him our Grand Patron, we recognise not only his legislative contributions but his practical commitment to the development of our region,” Oriri said.

The group pledged to mobilise its members and affiliates across the North Central to canvass support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The endorsement comes amid growing political mobilisation in the North Central ahead of the 2027 elections, with other regional advocacy groups also publicly backing Tinubu and citing infrastructure, security and economic reforms as reasons for their support.

The NCRN called on other stakeholders in the region to support continuity, arguing that a second Tinubu administration would provide an opportunity to consolidate ongoing infrastructure and security projects.
“We stand with President Tinubu because the evidence of progress is clear,” Oriri said.

“And we stand with Honourable Abejide because he has stood with our people. Together, we believe the North Central will continue to benefit from purposeful leadership through 2027 and beyond.”