Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, on Friday led political leaders and stakeholders from Nigeria’s North-Central geopolitical zone in launching a regional grassroots mobilisation movement to campaign for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 presidential election, with a target of delivering the highest number of votes for the President among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The North-Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network for Tinubu/Shettima 2027 was inaugurated at an inaugural meeting held at Akume’s office in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Saturday by the movement’s National Coordinator, Sonny Echono, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Fund. The meeting brought together APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris, former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, and other party leaders, government appointees and grassroots organisers from the six North-Central states and the Federal Capital Territory. Akume, who serves as Grand Patron of the network, said the initiative was designed to take the campaign for the President beyond Abuja and into communities across the region, stressing that the real strength of electoral mobilisation lies at the grassroots. “The principal objective of this movement is to canvass support and mobilise a massive turnout for Mr President in the 2027 election,” Akume said. He added that the North-Central was targeting the highest regional vote total for Tinubu in the election.
Governor Sule described the initiative as timely and necessary, saying the region was better positioned politically than it was ahead of the 2023 election. He cited the presence of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the APC National Chairman and other key political appointees from the region as evidence of its strengthened political position. “The political challenges ahead of the 2027 election are gradually receding,” Sule said, adding that the latest voter register indicated strong support for the APC in the North-Central. He expressed confidence that the region would deliver a significant number of votes for Tinubu and other APC candidates. His remarks echoed a position he had taken in March, when he seconded the motion by Akume for the North-Central to adopt Tinubu as the party’s sole presidential candidate, and in September, when he said the President’s re-election was in the interest of the North.
APC National Chairman Yilwatda read the resolutions of the meeting, which committed the six states and the FCT to mobilising their members and supporters for the President. “We agreed that overwhelmingly, the North-Central would mobilise votes and will overwhelmingly support Mr President as our candidate in the 2027 general election,” Yilwatda said. He said the stakeholders intended to demonstrate that the zone would deliver the highest number of votes for Tinubu compared with all the other geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
The network outlined three major activities to drive its mobilisation campaign. The first is a North-Central Grand Rally scheduled for October 10, 2026, in Lafia, Nasarawa State, which will bring together party members and supporters from the six states and the Federal Capital Territory. The second is a comprehensive medical outreach programme across the zone, including eye screening and treatment, refraction and prescription of spectacles, cataract assessment and selected cataract surgeries where facilities permit, as well as glaucoma and diabetic eye screening. The third is a grassroots advocacy tour and town hall meetings covering the 19 senatorial districts across the six states and the FCT, designed to provide opportunities for direct engagement with communities while communicating the policies and programmes of the administration. Akume said the programme had been put together by Echono and his team and had received the endorsement of the APC National Secretariat.
In his remarks, Echono said the focus was no longer simply on whether President Tinubu would win the North-Central, but on positioning the region to deliver the highest number of votes to him in 2027. He commended Akume, the North-Central Governors’ Forum and other stakeholders for their support for the Tinubu administration. Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris described the movement as the first of its kind and assured stakeholders that the necessary structures would be put in place to support its mobilisation efforts ahead of the general election. The stakeholders also resolved to constitute a reconciliation committee to address grievances within the party and aggregate support for the President. Yilwatda said the reconciliation initiative would help resolve outstanding differences and strengthen unity ahead of the elections, urging members to support candidates who emerge on the party’s platform regardless of personal preferences. The group is expected to reconvene next week to finalise preparations for the Lafia rally and coordinate the wider mobilisation programme.
The launch of the North-Central network is the latest in a series of regional and national mobilisation efforts by the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections, scheduled for January 16, with the governorship and state assembly elections following on February 6. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. The North-Central, comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, is a critical battleground with a substantial voting population, and the APC’s ability to deliver a strong performance there will be central to the President’s re-election prospects. The appointment of Akume as Grand Patron and Sule as a leading figure in the mobilisation effort reflects the party’s strategy of leveraging the influence of senior federal officials and governors to drive grassroots engagement. As Akume put it, the objective is to take the campaign beyond Abuja and into the communities where the votes are cast. The coming weeks will determine whether the network can translate its plans into the kind of grassroots mobilisation that delivers the highest vote total in the region.
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