The Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ali Bukar Dalori, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will defeat former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar in his home state of Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and other states in the North-East geopolitical zone during the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of women trained under the Tinubu-Shettima Village-to-Village campaign in Abuja on Wednesday, the APC chieftain said his assessment was informed by his experience as a grassroots politician and his understanding of the political dynamics in the North-East.

Dalori dismissed concerns that Atiku could pose a serious challenge to Tinubu’s re-election bid in the region, citing ongoing federal infrastructure projects, the political influence of Vice President Kashim Shettima and what he described as the achievements of the administration.

Asked whether Atiku, who hails from Adamawa State, could disrupt Tinubu’s re-election plans in the region, Dalori said he did not consider the former vice president an insurmountable obstacle.

“I don’t think that Atiku can disrupt the North-East. Why? Even Adamawa, his hometown, he will not win, even at his polling unit. I will assure you of that,” he said.

Dalori maintained that the APC was confident of improving its electoral performance across the region, arguing that the party had projects and political structures it could rely on to mobilise voters ahead of the election.

According to him, the political contest should not be assessed solely on the basis of Atiku’s origin or his previous electoral performance, but also on the policies, projects and political alliances that could shape voters’ decisions in 2027.

The APC deputy national chairman pointed to ongoing federal road projects across the North-East as evidence of the administration’s efforts to improve infrastructure and strengthen economic activities in the region.

He cited work on the Gombe-Bauchi and Bauchi-Maiduguri roads, as well as the Maiduguri-Gamboru Ngala corridor linking Nigeria with Chad, saying the projects were important to communities whose economic activities depended on road connectivity.

Dalori also referred to work on sections of the Maiduguri-Biu road that were previously left incomplete, arguing that the continuation of such projects could strengthen the ruling party’s appeal to voters.

He expressed confidence that residents of the region would take the projects into consideration when deciding which candidate to support in the presidential election.

For Dalori, the APC’s prospects in the North-East also rest on Shettima’s position as vice president and his longstanding political connections in the region.

“Kashim Shettima is from Borno, from the North-East. He is our son. Because of that, we can do everything to ensure that Tinubu comes back for a second term,” he said.

He suggested that Shettima’s presence in the presidency would remain an important rallying point for APC supporters in the region particularly in Borno and neighbouring states.

Dalori’s remarks come against the background of the 2023 presidential election, when Atiku secured substantial support across the North-East, establishing the region as an important electoral battleground ahead of the next general election.

Atiku, who contested the 2023 election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won Adamawa State, his home state, as well as other states in the region. Tinubu, the APC candidate, won the presidency despite losing several northern states to opposition parties.

The former vice president’s established political base in Adamawa and his previous electoral performance in the North-East have made the region a significant focus of political calculations ahead of 2027.

However, Dalori expressed confidence that the APC could challenge the opposition’s previous gains by capitalising on its federal presence, infrastructure projects and grassroots mobilisation.

He also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange regime, describing them as necessary measures to stabilise public finances and reposition the economy.

The APC chieftain maintained that although the reforms had generated debate and concerns over the cost of living, the administration’s policies should be considered alongside its efforts to address infrastructure and other development needs.

He expressed optimism that the government’s record and continued engagement with communities would help the party persuade more voters to support Tinubu’s second-term bid.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Farida Musa Jauro, National Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Village-to-Village campaign, declared her support for Tinubu’s re-election, pledging to mobilise voters across northern Nigeria.

Jauro said the organisation intended to mobilise more than one million votes for the president through grassroots engagement and political sensitisation in communities ahead of the 2027 general election.

She described Tinubu as a leader whose policies and political career had convinced her of his capacity to lead the country, adding that she believed he should be allowed to complete a second term.

Recounting an encounter with Tinubu during her secondary school years in Lagos, Jauro said she had been impressed by his generous and friendly disposition when he stopped to share groundnuts with her and a friend.

She said the experience had remained memorable to her and that she had continued to follow his political journey, strengthening her conviction that he deserved another term in office.

Jauro said the campaign would intensify its mobilisation drive across northern states, urging supporters to sustain engagement with communities and encourage eligible voters to participate in the election.

The event also featured the graduation of women who underwent vocational training under the initiative, reflecting the organisers’ effort to combine political mobilisation with skills acquisition and economic empowerment.

Engr. Aishata Aliyu Umar, Director of Planning for the Tinubu&Shettima Village to Village, said 1,000 women had benefited from the training sponsored by the National Coordinator, Jauro, who holds the traditional title of Dawisun Mubi.

Umar said the programme was designed to equip women with practical skills, improve their prospects for economic independence and strengthen their capacity to support their families.

She urged the graduates to apply the skills acquired by establishing businesses, joining cooperatives and developing sustainable income-generating activities.

She also encouraged them to share their knowledge with other women in their communities to extend the benefits of the programme beyond the immediate beneficiaries.

Similarly, Alhaji Salisu Sheriff, Director of the Village-to-Village initiative, urged the graduates to use their training to improve their livelihoods and contribute to the development of their communities.

Tukur Dan Fulani, who commended Jauro for initiating the programme, described the graduation as evidence of efforts to support women and mobilise grassroots backing for Tinubu and Shettima. He donated ₦5 million to support the initiative.

As political parties prepare for the 2027 general election, the North-East is expected to remain an important arena of competition between the APC and opposition parties, given Atiku’s established political base in Adamawa and the region’s voting pattern in the last presidential election.

While Dalori has expressed confidence that Tinubu can make gains across the region, the competing parties will face the task of persuading voters on the strength of their records, policy proposals and responses to concerns over economic hardship, security, infrastructure and livelihoods.