…urges campaigners to defend reforms with facts, transparency, not political slogans

Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned supporters of President Bola Tinubu against taking Northern Nigeria’s backing for his re-election for granted, insisting that the administration must earn a renewed mandate through transparency, accountability and measurable results.

Shettima said the growing support for President Tinubu in the North placed a greater responsibility on the government and its campaigners to explain the impact of its policies, acknowledge economic hardships and demonstrate how ongoing reforms would improve the lives of Nigerians.

The Vice President spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the unveiling of the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) campaign headquarters and inauguration of the Northern political think tank’s campaign structure ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Declaring that the North had spoken with a “resounding voice and unmistakable conviction” in support of Tinubu, Shettima cautioned that political confidence must not be mistaken for unconditional endorsement.

“Such confidence places an obligation upon us that no officeholder should ever underestimate,” he said.

He insisted that the administration’s quest for a second term must be justified by its record in office and a clear account of how another mandate would serve the public interest.

“The mandate belongs to the people. We must account for its use and explain how another term would advance their interests,” he said.

Shettima acknowledged that Nigerians had endured difficult economic adjustments, warning APC campaigners against glossing over the hardship or substituting political rhetoric for evidence.

“Our citizens have endured difficult adjustments. We cannot pretend otherwise. What we owe them is an honest account of the decisions taken, the gains achieved and the difficulties that persist. We lose our hearing when applause becomes our only source of information,” he said.

He urged the campaign organisation to recognise the daily struggles of traders facing rising costs, graduates seeking jobs and families battling household expenses.

“A failed policy enters somebody’s home as a missed meal, an unpaid school fee or an opportunity lost,” the Vice President said.

He also stressed that constructive criticism was essential to democratic governance, urging the administration to remain open to dissenting views regardless of political, ethnic, religious or regional affiliations.

“There is no democracy without critics. Progress demands that our assumptions endure the examination of those who disagree with us,” he said.

Shettima charged A4A to go beyond electoral mobilisation by creating channels through which grassroots concerns could reach government officials and receive attention.

“A complaint should travel from a community to those who can act upon it. The people who speak through this organisation deserve to know that somebody is listening,” he said.

He identified security, economic opportunity, poverty reduction, education and stronger public institutions as priorities that must underpin the administration’s performance.

“The farmer should be able to cultivate in safety. A child’s education should prepare that child for a productive life. Public institutions should give citizens confidence that effort can yield opportunity,” he said.

Shettima warned that electoral timelines must not distract from the enduring responsibilities of governance.

“Even as elections impose a deadline upon persuasion, public service imposes no deadline upon our duty,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin said the A4A structure would provide a platform for mobilising Northern support for Tinubu’s re-election and communicating the administration’s achievements.

APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, moved a motion urging the North to support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, citing the administration’s record, inclusive leadership and appointments of prominent Northern figures to strategic positions.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, urged the region to base its 2027 electoral choices on evidence rather than sentiment, highlighting projects and initiatives undertaken by the administration in Northern Nigeria.

Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, speaking on behalf of Northern governors, pledged support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, citing the administration’s performance and commitment to fairness, equity, national unity and development.

In his welcome address, former Jigawa State governor and A4A Director-General, Abubakar Mohammed Badaru, said the organisation was formed out of the conviction that Tinubu and Shettima deserved re-election.

He pledged to take the campaign’s message of continuity to communities across Northern Nigeria and beyond.

National Assembly members, ministers, presidential aides, heads of government agencies, former governors and other prominent Northern leaders attended the event.