All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders and stakeholders in the North Central have stepped up grassroots mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, with plans for a major rally in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on October 10.

The initiative, being coordinated under the North Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network, brings together governors, senior government officials, party leaders and grassroots organisers from across the geopolitical zone.

At a strategic meeting held at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja on Friday, October 2, stakeholders adopted measures covering political mobilisation, reconciliation, community outreach and town hall engagements ahead of the 2027 general election.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who serves as Grand Patron of the network, said the initiative was established to mobilise grassroots support across the region for President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Akume said the strategy was intended to take political mobilisation beyond Abuja and into communities across the North Central.

The region comprises Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

Among those at the meeting were APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule; Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris; former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong; and National Coordinator of the mobilisation network, Sonny S.T. Echono.

The stakeholders said they intend to substantially increase the number of votes delivered to Tinubu from the region in the 2027 presidential election.

Sule, who is also playing a leadership role in the mobilisation initiative, called for greater coordination among political leaders and grassroots stakeholders across the zone.

The Nasarawa governor said the APC’s political position in the North Central had changed since the last general election and argued that the region was capable of delivering a stronger electoral performance in 2027.

The assertion remains a political target, however, with the eventual strength of the parties in the region to be determined by voters at the election.

Echono said the mobilisation effort would seek to bring political leaders, grassroots actors and other stakeholders together as the APC prepares for the election.

He argued that the objective should extend beyond winning the North Central to increasing the region’s contribution to the President’s overall vote.

Echono, who is also Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), presented the mobilisation work plan during the meeting.

As part of the programme, the stakeholders fixed October 10 for a major rally in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

The rally is expected to bring together APC members and supporters from the six North Central states and the FCT.

The mobilisation programme also includes grassroots advocacy tours and town hall meetings across the region’s 19 senatorial districts.

According to the organisers, the engagements will be used to take the APC’s political message into communities and mobilise support ahead of the 2027 elections.

The stakeholders also approved medical outreach activities as part of the programme.

The proposed interventions include eye screening and treatment, refraction and provision of prescribed spectacles, cataract assessment and selected cataract surgeries where appropriate facilities are available.

Glaucoma screening and diabetic eye examinations are also expected to form part of the outreach.

Another major resolution from the Abuja meeting was the establishment of a reconciliation mechanism to address internal disagreements within the APC in the North Central.

The initiative is expected to involve the party’s national leadership, the SGF and other stakeholders as the APC seeks to resolve grievances before the election.

The stakeholders said the reconciliation effort would be used to engage aggrieved members and improve cohesion within the party across the zone.

Yilwatda said the initiative would help address outstanding differences and consolidate support ahead of the 2027 election.

The meeting also assigned a communication role to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, working with state-level information and party publicity structures.

Idris described the mobilisation initiative as significant and pledged support for its communication activities.

The stakeholders are expected to meet again as preparations intensify for the October 10 rally in Lafia.

For the North Central APC, the immediate challenge will be translating the presence of senior party and government officials in the region into grassroots support ahead of the election.

The network says its combination of rallies, town hall meetings, advocacy activities and internal reconciliation will form part of that effort as political preparations for 2027 gather pace.