Follow Us on Google
• Ex-Speaker cites security gains, urges support for President
• Plateau leaders rebuilding trust across ethnic, religious divides – Mutfwang
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has pledged to mobilise political support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, following a high-level consultation involving prominent leaders from the Northeast and North-Central geopolitical zones.
The leaders, led by former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), visited President Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday, declaring their support for his administration and expressing readiness to strengthen his political base across their communities.
Dogara said the delegation was particularly encouraged by what he described as remarkable improvements in the country’s security situation, arguing that the gains recorded under the Tinubu administration provided further justification for rallying support for the President.
The delegation included Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang; Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.); and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentanwe Yilwatda.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Dogara said the visit was designed to demonstrate solidarity with Tinubu and discuss ways of mobilising political support for his re-election bid.
“We’re all here to show solidarity to Mr. President and then, in the spirit of the season, which you know is all about politicking, to discuss matters that affect our community and how we can best help in mobilising support for the President, who has done so much for our community.
“That is basically the reason why we’re here”, the former Speaker explained.
Dogara said the security situation in several parts of the country that were previously plagued by insurgency, banditry and kidnapping had improved considerably, although some pockets of violence remained.
He cited the Abuja-Kaduna highway as an example of the changing security situation, recalling the period when travellers faced persistent attacks and kidnappings, while a moving train was attacked by terrorists.
“The issues relating to insecurity that accentuated over time, we have noticed that there is remarkable decline in these issues.
“Of course, there are pockets of crisis in some places, short of declaring victory, but there has been remarkable improvement.
“To travel from here to Kaduna, everybody knows what it was. At a point, they even brought down a moving train, but right now, some of those crises are not there”, he said.
The former Speaker attributed the improvement partly to the strategic appointment of individuals from affected communities into key positions in government, saying their understanding of the security challenges had helped in addressing them.
He urged the government to sustain the interventions, expressing optimism that continued efforts would consolidate the gains and restore lasting peace.
“We believe that through some strategic placement of our sons and daughters within the government, they have shown remarkable leadership in dealing with these challenges.
“We believe that if these efforts are sustained going forward, we will arrive at a place where most of us will be very, very comfortable”, Dogara added.
On his part, Mutfwang said political and community leaders in Plateau State were making progress in rebuilding confidence among communities divided by years of ethnic and religious tensions.
The governor said leaders were deliberately promoting reconciliation and peaceful coexistence through sustained engagement, adding that the growing cooperation among political leaders was beginning to inspire similar initiatives among young people.
“We are making tremendous progress, trying to make sure that leaders come together at various levels to rebuild the broken walls of trust, to rebuild understanding.
“Once people begin to see that kind of cohesion among leaders, it inspires them. It cascades down, and so this is what we are doing at the moment”, the governor said.
He said political leaders were demonstrating unity by appearing together and consistently appealing to residents to embrace peaceful coexistence, irrespective of their religious and ethnic differences.
According to him, the initiative was yielding results, with youth leaders from different communities increasingly taking the initiative to engage one another without waiting for government intervention.
“I believe that for us on the Plateau, those of us who are in the front lines of leadership are trying to demonstrate that by being seen together, by saying the same things, urging people to unite, to come together.
“People are taking responsibility, even among the youths. We are seeing a new vista in that direction, where youth leaders across the divides of faith and ethnicity are beginning to have conversations without even government support”, he stated.
Mutfwang described the emerging cooperation as an encouraging development in the state’s peacebuilding efforts, expressing hope that sustained dialogue would help overcome longstanding divisions.
“This is quite encouraging to me that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and by the grace of God, we will continue to sustain these initiatives.
“Hopefully, a lot of the things that have happened in the past will become stories of the past, and we will be able to build a better, stable and prosperous future”, the governor said.
