By Nkechi Eze
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and six All Progressives Congress (APC) governors from the North-Central region have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for a second term in office, urging political stakeholders to respect the power-rotation arrangement between Northern and Southern Nigeria.
The endorsement was announced at the North-Central Grand Rally and Endorsement for Tinubu and Shettima held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Lafia, Nasarawa State. According to an official statement signed by Chris Ugwuegbulam, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department, the rally brought together APC governors, party leaders and grassroots supporters to declare support for the President’s re-election bid.
Akume, who is the Grand Patron of the North-Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, formally proposed Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate of the region for the 2027 election, a motion that received the endorsement of the gathering.
“By the authority of this great congregation, I, Senator George Akume, hereby propose that the people of the North-Central States meeting here have resolved that, come 2027, our sole candidate is His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. There is no other candidate,” he declared.
The SGF called on political leaders and stakeholders to uphold the power-rotation understanding reached by political leaders in Kaduna in 1999, arguing that the arrangement was intended to promote political balance and understanding between the North and South.
He maintained that Tinubu should be allowed to complete an eight-year tenure under the arrangement, making a case for continuity in the country’s leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Akume also defended the administration’s economic and infrastructure policies, citing projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed Badagry-Sokoto Highway as initiatives expected to improve connectivity, unlock economic opportunities and stimulate development across the country.
He further pointed to increased allocations to state and local governments, reforms in the financial sector and interventions in the education sector as evidence of the administration’s efforts to drive economic transformation.
On the removal of the petrol subsidy, Akume described the decision as one requiring political courage, cautioning against campaign promises to reverse the policy without a clear assessment of the potential economic consequences.
He also highlighted the establishment of additional universities and the introduction of student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying such interventions were intended to widen access to tertiary education for young Nigerians irrespective of their family backgrounds.
In his remarks, Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, who chairs the North-Central Governors Forum, seconded the motion for Tinubu and Shettima’s re-election, expressing the commitment of APC governors in the region to the President’s second-term bid.
Sule cited what he described as improvements in oil production, foreign reserves and capitalisation, alongside infrastructure development and the student loan initiative, as reasons for supporting the administration’s continuity.
The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, also reaffirmed the party’s support for Tinubu’s re-election, urging residents of the North-Central region to sustain their commitment to the APC from the national level to the grassroots.
Yilwatda assured the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, of the region’s support for the President, claiming that the administration had undertaken initiatives that had significantly benefited the North-Central region.
In her address, the First Lady conveyed President Tinubu’s goodwill message to the people of the region, reiterating his administration’s stated commitment to national security, national unity and economic prosperity.
She referenced the President’s October 1 Independence Day address, titled “From Reforms to Prosperity,” explaining that the administration’s reform agenda was designed to lay the foundation for improved economic conditions and broader prosperity.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who serves as Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu and Shettima’s re-election, also reaffirmed the APC and the Progressive Governors Forum’s commitment to mobilising support for the President ahead of the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma said the visit was intended to demonstrate solidarity with the North-Central region and strengthen collaboration among party leaders, governors and grassroots supporters.
The six APC governors from the North-Central region, including those from Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, reportedly pledged their support for Tinubu and Shettima’s re-election and vowed to work towards the victory of APC candidates at all levels in the 2027 general elections.
