Jigawa gov targets 2m votes for Tinubu as ACT mobilises northern Christians

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja and Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse

Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has charged elected and appointed political office holders to return to their communities and mobilise support for the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressing confidence that the state would deliver two million votes for President Bola Tinubu in 2027, as Arewa Christians for Tinubu 2027 (ACT-2027) unveiled plans to rally Christians across Northern Nigeria for the President’s re-election.

While Namadi inaugurated a joint presidential and governorship campaign council to coordinate support for APC candidates at all levels, ACT-2027 National Coordinator, Ambassador Ayuba Jacob Ngbako, said the group would deploy grassroots mobilisation, zonal prayer breakfasts and youth initiatives, urging Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to expand opportunities for youth empowerment and political inclusion.

Speaking at the inauguration of the campaign council at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Dutse, Namadi urged political office holders to mobilise the electorate to vote for the party’s candidates from the presidency to the state House of Assembly.

He said the party’s achievements in infrastructure, health, education and human empowerment provided a strong basis for seeking another mandate, adding that integrating the presidential and governorship campaign structures would strengthen coordination and provide a united platform for the elections.

The governor described the turnout at the inauguration as a demonstration of the APC’s strength across the state, saying the gathering had reinforced his confidence in the party’s capacity to secure victory.

“By the grace of Allah, we are confident that we will deliver victory for Mr President, the Governor, our Senators, members of the House of Representatives and members of the State House of Assembly,” he said.

On the expectation that Jigawa would deliver two million votes for Tinubu, Namadi said: “Judging by what we have witnessed today, we are confident that we will deliver those votes for Mr President, Insha Allah.”

The council has Namadi as chairman, with Deputy Governor Aminu Usman, former governors Ali Sa’ad Birnin Kudu and Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, and the state APC Chairman, Ahmad Garba Maikudi, as deputy chairmen.

Other members include the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, as vice chairman for North-East; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin, and Farouk Adamu Aliyu as vice chairmen for South-West I and II, respectively; and Isa Gerawa and Rabi Ishaq as vice chairmen for North-West I and II, respectively.

Lawan Ya’u Roni was appointed director-general of the council, having served in a similar capacity during the 2023 general elections that brought Namadi into office.

Speaking at the event, Birnin Kudu and Turaki commended the governor’s leadership and development projects, expressing confidence that his administration’s record would strengthen the party’s campaign.

Birnin Kudu described Namadi as a leader whose integrity and management of public resources had earned him widespread confidence.

“Today in Jigawa, everybody agrees that Governor Namadi is an honest man. Nobody can question his integrity or accuse him of mismanaging public funds. Anyone who says anything negative about him does so out of envy, hatred or jealousy, because there is nothing to fault him for,” he said.

Turaki described the governor as fair, principled and compassionate, citing road construction and the recruitment of teachers among his administration’s achievements.

“Can anyone point to another state in Nigeria today with excellent road networks comparable to those in Jigawa? Since I left the office, no teachers had been recruited. There were schools that had to close down because of a shortage of teachers. Who, today, has recruited thousands of teachers as Governor Namadi has done?” he asked.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration, Dangyatin expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects, citing the presence of serving and former political office holders in its campaign structure.

“At the state level, I can confirm to you that APC has no strong opponent, so we have no fear of dominating the little ones that we have at the moment.

“As you can see, we have an array of who-is-who in the political landscape of the state, including two former governors, serving and former senators, members of the House of Representatives, state legislators, former ministers and other political office holders. This is unprecedented in the political history of the state. This is what’s giving us confidence that we’re the party to beat in the elections,” he said.

Dangyatin, who is also the state coordinator of the City Boy Movement (CBM), said the organisation was prepared to take the campaigns for Tinubu and Namadi to communities across Jigawa.

Meanwhile, Ngbako, who is also a Federal Commissioner of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), said ACT-2027 would commence its zonal prayer breakfasts with the North-West on November 14.

He said the programme would subsequently move to Bauchi and either Jos or Lafia before culminating in a grand prayer breakfast in Abuja.

According to him, the initiative would bring Christians together to pray for Tinubu, national unity, peace in Northern Nigeria and the country’s development, while providing a platform for mobilising support ahead of the elections.

He called on Christian leaders, youth organisations, women’s groups and other supporters of the President to participate.

Ngbako commended Wike for infrastructure development in the FCT, saying Tinubu made the right choice in appointing him minister, but urged him to complement the projects with more opportunities for qualified political stakeholders and young people.

He said greater youth inclusion in governance, through empowerment programmes and political appointments, would strengthen grassroots participation and support the implementation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Ngbako also identified platforms being deployed to mobilise young people for Tinubu’s second-term bid, including the National Gbagyi Youth Integration Festival (National GbagyiFe) for Tinubu Renewed Hope 2027, covering Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi and the FCT.

Others are the FCT Abuja Youth Participation Action Community (FAYPAC 2027) and the Gbagyi Youth Association, FCT Abuja.

He said the platforms would promote youth integration, political participation and community engagement, while creating awareness of government policies and programmes.

Ngbako further disclosed that he was chairing the editorial board of a forthcoming publication, Meet President Tinubu and His 52 Managers of Economy, which would document the administration’s economic policies, reforms and the activities of officials and institutions responsible for managing the economy.

He listed institutions expected to feature in the publication as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), RMAFC and Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), alongside relevant ministers and heads of government agencies.

According to him, the publication would provide empirical information on the administration’s economic policies and the contributions of those implementing them, serving as a resource for public engagement and efforts to counter misinformation.

He said the book would be launched in Abuja in December and called on stakeholders, including Wike, to support the project.