Vice President Kashim Shettima is today (Wednesday) meeting a delegation of Northern Nigerian artistes in Abuja, as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) deepens its engagement with the creative sector ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The meeting, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and currently underway at the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Secretariat in the Central Business District, is expected to bring together actors, musicians and other entertainers from across the North.

Present are at the venue are former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdulahi Ganduje, former Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, the Director‑General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re‑election campaign council and former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulziz Abubakar Yari as well as former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Aliyu Modibbo among others.

The engagement comes against the backdrop of the APC’s recently constituted 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, which has a dedicated Creative Sector Mobilisation directorate headed by Ahmed Bala. Kannywood actor Ali Nuhu, Mansura Isa and veteran actor Adebayo Salami are among those listed as deputy directors.

The development also coincides with the emergence of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a Northern mobilisation platform campaigning for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s re-election in 2027 across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Ali Nuhu heads the Creative and Entertainment Industry directorate of A4A, with Tukura John Daniel as his deputy.

Wednesday’s meeting is therefore coming at a time when the APC’s campaign structure is increasingly incorporating entertainers and other influential figures from the creative industry into its political mobilisation architecture.

For the administration, the engagement also provides an opportunity to link its creative-economy agenda with the political mobilisation now gathering momentum ahead of the 2027 polls.

Shettima has previously engaged stakeholders in the creative industry on the economic potential of the sector.

At a Creative Industry Intervention roundtable organised by the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy at the Presidential Villa, the Vice President pledged government support for a more inclusive and prosperous creative economy, including reforms in legislation, regulation and intellectual property protection.

The latest meeting, however, has a distinctly political setting, taking place at the PCC Secretariat rather than at the Presidential Villa or a ministry platform.

The choice of venue and the composition of the delegation suggest an effort to bring Northern entertainers into closer contact with the APC’s campaign machinery, particularly in a region where Kannywood, Hausa-language music and other forms of popular culture command substantial audiences.

The creative sector has historically featured prominently in Nigerian political campaigns, with musicians, actors and other entertainers participating in rallies, producing campaign materials and using their platforms to reach young and grassroots audiences.

For the artistes, the engagement could equally provide an avenue to raise issues affecting the industry, including access to funding, intellectual property protection, piracy, skills development, taxation, distribution and access to domestic and international markets.

The meeting also comes amid broader efforts by Northern political stakeholders to consolidate support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

A4A, for instance, has established a political structure spanning the 19 Northern states and the FCT, with directorates covering areas including youth, women, traditional institutions, business, professionals, media and the creative industry.

Shettima’s engagement with the artistes is consequently expected to provide another platform for discussions around the intersection of culture, entertainment, economic opportunity and political mobilisation in the North.

The outcome of the closed-door meeting is expected to provide further indication of the role the creative sector will play in the APC’s Northern campaign architecture as preparations for the 2027 elections gather pace.