The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, says the decision to begin the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna State reflects the strategic importance of Northern Nigeria to the President’s re-election bid in 2027.
Abduaziz, who stated this in an interview with Voice of Nigeria Correspondent Salihu Ali in Kaduna described the state as the political heartbeat of Northern Nigeria and a significant centre for political mobilisation.
According to him, ”the choice of Kaduna was deliberate and intended to demonstrate President Tinubu’s appreciation of the support he received from the North during the 2023 presidential election.”
“The choice of Kaduna is very deliberate. It is not by accident that the President is starting his campaign from Kaduna,” he said.
He said that the President considers Kaduna a home base, recalling that President Tinubu visited the state several times during the last presidential campaign to engage with political leaders and residents.
Campaign Rally
Abduaziz said the campaign rally would also provide an opportunity for northern political leaders, support groups and other stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to the President’s re-election campaign.
He expressed optimism that groups, including Arewa for Asiwaju, alongside other support organisations, would mobilise thousands of supporters to attend the rally and demonstrate their support for the APC.
The Presidential Aide described the gathering as a carnival, noting that ”the influx of supporters had already generated excitement and increased commercial activities in Kaduna and neighbouring communities.”
He said hotels were reportedly fully booked in Kaduna and as far as Zaria, while food vendors, petty traders and other small businesses were experiencing increased patronage.
Abduaziz maintained that the mobilisation reflected the North’s commitment to national unity, equitable power rotation and continued political participation in the federation.
On expectations from the President, he said ”the administration would build on its ongoing reforms and focus increasingly on improving living conditions and expanding economic opportunities for Nigerians.”
“The President is a doer, not a talker. It is not only about what he is going to announce, but his actions are already showing the trajectory of the government,” he said.
He explained that federal support to state governments had strengthened their capacity to execute development projects, create employment opportunities and improve the welfare of their residents.
Second-term agenda
According to him, the administration’s second-term agenda, captured in the campaign slogan of moving “from reform to prosperity,” would prioritise making essential goods and services more affordable and easing the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians.
In a related development, President of Hope Global Advocates, Prince Ade Omole, said the Tinubu administration was attracting renewed interest from Nigerians in the diaspora and foreign investors, which he attributed to growing confidence in the country’s economic direction.
Omole said; ”initiatives such as diaspora bonds and increased investment opportunities could encourage Nigerians living abroad to contribute more actively to national development.”
He argued that the administration’s economic reforms were also changing perceptions about migration, suggesting that some Nigerians abroad were increasingly considering returning home to participate in emerging opportunities.
According to him, the country’s economic recovery would depend on sustained reforms, investor confidence and policies capable of creating opportunities for Nigerians regardless of their region or religious background.
Omole expressed confidence that the administration’s policies could help position Nigeria for renewed growth, urging Nigerians at home and abroad to support efforts aimed at strengthening the economy.
The Kaduna rally is expected to bring together APC leaders, elected officials, support groups and party faithful from across the country as the ruling party intensifies mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.
