Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has publicly endorsed the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging members of a political mobilisation group to remain determined in their efforts to deliver victory for the ruling All Progressives Congress. Musa made the declaration on Friday, September 11, 2026, during a meeting with local government coordinators of GCG Musawah 4 PBAT 2027, a political mobilisation structure established to support the Tinubu and Uba Sani administrations. The meeting, held in Kaduna, brought together the movement's leadership, coordinators from all 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, and representatives of more than 300 affiliated support and interest groups, according to a statement signed by the group's Secretary, James Swam.
Addressing the gathering, Musa reaffirmed his commitment to Nigeria's success and urged members of the movement to remain focused on mobilising support for Tinubu's re-election. "I will continue to work hard for Nigeria to succeed," the minister said. "We should remain determined to build this country because together we are stronger as a nation." The statement, which was reported by multiple national newspapers, including Vanguard, Leadership, ThisDay, and The Guardian, marks the most direct and public intervention by a serving Minister of Defence in the 2027 presidential campaign to date. Musa's endorsement comes less than a month after he was appointed Secretary I of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on August 24, 2026, a role he accepted while pledging that his involvement would not compromise his professionalism or his responsibilities as the nation's defence chief.
The minister used the occasion to advocate religious tolerance, national unity, and peaceful coexistence, drawing on his childhood experience in Sokoto State to illustrate the bonds that can exist across religious lines. "I grew up in Sokoto, there is no way I can object to any religion," Musa said, recalling his friendships with Muslims and his participation in Sallah celebrations as a child. "I remember that during Sallah, as children, we were the ones who would hold the ram to be slaughtered." He cited the experience as an example of the friendship and communal coexistence that he believes Nigerians should preserve, stressing that the country was endowed with abundant human and material resources capable of transforming the nation if citizens remained united and committed to national development. "God put us in Nigeria to build this country, and we have the capacity to do it, both in human and material resources," he said.
The political context of Musa's endorsement is significant. The Minister of Defence occupies an office with direct responsibility for the Armed Forces of Nigeria, an institution that is expected to remain apolitical and professional at all times. His appointment to the APC Presidential Campaign Council in August 2026 drew immediate criticism from concerned lawmakers under the auspices of the Save Democracy Group, who warned that the inclusion of defence chiefs, tax officials, and budget chiefs in the ruling party's campaign council was dangerous and could compromise the neutrality of institutions that are supposed to serve all Nigerians regardless of political affiliation. The lawmakers said the issue was not whether ministers had political rights, but whether partisan political activities could compromise the professionalism and integrity of the Armed Forces. Musa responded to those concerns in early September during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today, assuring Nigerians that his primary allegiance remained to Nigeria and its security regardless of political affiliations. "I will remain professional despite my APC campaign role," he said. The test of that assurance will be whether the Armed Forces under his leadership are seen to act impartially before, during, and after the 2027 elections.
Musa's endorsement of Governor Uba Sani is equally significant. Sani, who was elected in 2023, has been the subject of intense political activity in Kaduna State, with various groups endorsing his re-election bid in recent weeks. The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria and the Forum of 23 Local Government Education Secretaries in Kaduna State both endorsed Sani for a second term on September 10 and 11, 2026, citing his achievements in infrastructure, education, and grassroots development. The Kaduna Democrats League had earlier declared Sani's re-election "unstoppable," citing twelve compelling achievements. Musa's intervention adds the weight of a serving federal minister and a former Chief of Defence Staff to that growing list of endorsements, but it also raises questions about the relationship between the military establishment and partisan politics. The minister's remarks in Kaduna were framed as an appeal for unity and collective commitment to nation-building, but the political subtext was unmistakable. He told the coordinators of GCG Musawah 4 PBAT 2027 to remain determined in their mobilisation efforts, and he praised the group's national coordinator, Ambassador Polycarp Gankon, a former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Kaduna State, for his continued support.
The group itself is part of a broader political infrastructure that has been built around the Tinubu re-election project. GCG Musawah 4 PBAT 2027 has established structures across all 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, and its affiliated support groups extend beyond the state's borders. In June 2026, Musa inaugurated the Musawah for Youth and Development Initiative, a socio-political mobilisation platform aimed at galvanising support for the Tinubu administration among young people. The convergence of these groups around the Minister of Defence suggests a deliberate strategy to leverage his military background and national profile to appeal to voters in the North-West, a region that will be critical to the outcome of the 2027 election.
The endorsement has not attracted significant public opposition yet, but it is likely to intensify the debate over the role of serving security officials in partisan politics. Nigeria's Armed Forces have long been expected to remain above the political fray, and the sight of a serving Minister of Defence openly campaigning for a political candidate is certain to raise eyebrows among civil society organisations, opposition parties, and citizens who believe that the military should not be drawn into the electoral process. Musa has insisted that his campaign role will not compromise his official duties, but the line between governance and politicking is often blurred when senior officials of a sitting administration take on active roles in a re-election campaign. The coming months will determine whether his assurances hold, and whether the Armed Forces under his watch will be seen to act with the impartiality that Nigerians expect. For now, the Minister of Defence has made his choice, and he has made it loudly enough for the whole country to hear.
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