By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged Northern Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, citing what he described as the administration’s significant infrastructural investments and capacity-building initiatives across the region.
Yilwatda made the call on Thursday,12 February,2026 in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, during a solidarity rally organised to appreciate President Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule for what organisers termed their good works.
Addressing party supporters and stakeholders, he commended the President’s leadership style, which he said has fostered unity, inclusiveness, and decisiveness since 2023.
“Mr. President has shown that Nigeria can be one. Mr. President has shown that Nigeria can be inclusive. He has shown that the government can be resolute. That is why we are here,” Yilwatda declared.
Furthermore, the APC chairman argued that the Tinubu administration had delivered projects with far-reaching implications for the North’s economic transformation. He pointed to the Sokoto–Badagry superhighway as a strategic initiative capable of unlocking agricultural and energy potential.
“We have a road from Sokoto to Badagry, and it is going to carry over 60 dams that will have water for irrigation. It will provide agriculture, electricity, and clean water. This is what Mr. President is providing for us in the North,” he said.
In addition, Yilwatda highlighted the planned railway corridor linking Abuja, Kano, and the Niger Republic, describing it as a catalyst for regional trade and cross-border commerce.
“Mr. President is providing railways, the rail line that will run from Abuja to Kano and to the Niger Republic. For all of us in the North, it simply means that we will become importers and exporters because the entire northern part of Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Chad will rely on us for their imports,” he added.
Consequently, Yilwatda warned that withholding political support from the President could jeopardise the continuity of ongoing projects. He maintained that backing Tinubu’s second-term ambition was critical for sustaining developmental gains.
“All these projects are being done by Mr. President. That is why it will be a disservice to the North if we do not support him, because nobody may have the capacity to do those projects for us again. Supporting Mr. President is a must for the North because of what he has laid, what he is doing, and what he will do for the entire region,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the rally also witnessed the reception of thousands of decampees from other political parties into the APC.
While welcoming the new members, Yilwatda commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for what he described as impactful governance and infrastructural expansion across Nasarawa State.
He expressed satisfaction with projects executed across the state’s 13 local government areas, including flyovers, internal and rural roads, schools, hospitals, and the airport.
Moreover, he described Nasarawa as a benchmark for sub-national development.
Yilwatda characterised the state as “a shining example for other states in the quest for national development.”
In his remarks, Governor Sule thanked residents for the massive turnout, attributing the show of support to public confidence in governance outcomes.
He disclosed that federal allocations to Nasarawa State had doubled under President Tinubu, thereby accelerating development efforts.
According to Sule, the improved revenue profile had enabled the state to expand infrastructure and deliver critical services. He credited the progress recorded in Nasarawa to the President’s deliberate policy direction.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, commended both President Tinubu and Governor Sule for what he termed quality leadership. Uzodinma, who also serves as the National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda, subsequently inaugurated coordinators and ambassadors across the three senatorial districts and the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State.
He urged the appointees to actively promote the President’s achievements at the grassroots.
Uzodinma charged them to “serve as political evangelists of the President by showcasing his achievements to people at the grassroots level.”
Similarly, former APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; the Minister of Women Affairs, Imam Suleiman Ibrahim; the Nasarawa State APC Chairman, Dr. Aliyu Bello; and the North-Central Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda, Senator Umar Tanko Al-Makura, among others, pledged to collaborate with the ambassadors to strengthen mobilisation structures.
The decampees received at the rally included: Senator Aliyu Ahmed Wadada; Senator Philip Aruwa Gyunka; the Deputy Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Adamu Oyanki; Hon. Musa Saidu Gude; Hon. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar; Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi Sa’ad; and Hon. Muhammad Garba Isimbabi, among others.
The rally commenced at the State Secretariat along Shendam Road and concluded at Lafia Square. It was organised by the Office of the State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda, led by Labaran Magaji, who also serves as the Secretary to the Government of Nasarawa State, in collaboration with the State Ministry for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs.
