2027 polls: Panel targets 2 million votes for Tinubu in Bauchi

The director general of the Tinubu Again movement, Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu, has urged northerners to re-elect President Bola Tinubu in 2027, arguing that insecurity has improved in the north-east under the current administration.

Aliyu made the appeal on Thursday during the movement’s zonal engagement meeting in the North East in Bauchi, where supporters began mobilizing voters ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.

He cited his overnight journey from Abuja to Bauchi as evidence of increased security in the region.

“I came here from Abuja by road and arrived in Bauchi at about 3.30am. Before now, traveling at that time would have been difficult due to security concerns,” Aliyu said.

“This shows that security has improved, not only in Bauchi State but in the entire North East.”

However, the statement comes against the backdrop of ongoing security challenges in parts of northern Nigeria, with attacks by armed groups and other criminal elements continuing to worry residents.

Aliyu also cited the Federal Government’s approval of two army formations in Alkaleri and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of Bauchi State as evidence of its efforts to address insecurity.

He listed increasing military salaries, expanding the Nigerian army from eight to 12 divisions and recruiting 28,000 additional personnel among measures he said aimed to strengthen national security.

The director general of the movement also pointed to the completion of a diagnostic center at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital in Bauchi as one of the Federal Government’s interventions in the state.

He said the facility was part of 10 diagnostic centers approved under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to improve access to advanced medical services and reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for specialized diagnostic procedures.

Aliyu said security and health interventions, along with other government policies, informed the movement’s decision to campaign for Tinubu’s re-election.

The movement was called by Defense Minister and former governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle.

On the economy, Aliyu acknowledged that the removal of the petrol subsidy has increased the monthly allocations required by law for state governments.

He, however, called for regular publication of detailed breakdowns of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee’s disbursements to state and local governments.

According to him, greater transparency would allow citizens to know how much their governments receive and evaluate how public funds are spent.

On education, he praised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, describing it as an intervention designed to reduce financial barriers to tertiary education and broaden access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Aliyu said the movement will continue to engage political stakeholders, community leaders and supporters across the North East to promote the administration’s policies ahead of the elections.

During the meeting, the Bauchi State APC Chairman, represented by the party treasurer, Ahmed Abubakar Yaro, thanked the movement for choosing the state to host its zonal engagement.

A former Bauchi State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Umar Ibrahim Saleh, who represented the APC state governorship candidate, also expressed confidence in Matawalle’s ability to mobilize support for Tinubu.

“We know who Matawalle is and we believe he can do whatever he says he will do,” Saleh said.

Minority Leader of the Bauchi State Assembly, Bala Abdu Rishi, has also pledged to mobilize support for the President ahead of the 2027 elections.

Rishi said Bauchi State will contribute two million votes towards the movement’s target of 20 million votes for Tinubu.

“We will support you in this journey and now that you are aiming for twenty (20) million votes, we will give you two million votes from Bauchi,” he said.

“By the grace of God, Bauchi will be the state that gives the highest ratings to President Tinubu.”