The All Progressives Congress (APC) is looking to the North’s 56.01 million registered voters as President Bola Tinubu prepares to kick off his 2027 re-election campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, even as the opposition argues that economic hardship and insecurity could frustrate the ruling party’s plans. Figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission show that […]
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is looking to the North’s 56.01 million registered voters as President Bola Tinubu prepares to kick off his 2027 re-election campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, even as the opposition argues that economic hardship and insecurity could frustrate the ruling party’s plans.
Figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission show that the North-West, North-Central and North-East jointly account for 56.01 million of Nigeria’s 103.43 million registered voters. The figure represents 54.2 per cent of the national total, making the region a major focus of the APC’s campaign strategy.
The choice of Kaduna is notable because Tinubu lost the state in the 2023 presidential election. The APC is expected to bring together 31 governors and other party leaders for the flag-off as it seeks to strengthen its support base and convince northern voters to back the President for another term.
The ruling party has announced an ambitious target of mobilising 40 million votes for Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima. Betta Edu, co-chair of the Presidential Campaign Council’s women mobilisation directorate, said the effort would depend on reaching voters directly rather than relying only on crowds at rallies.
Edu said campaign organisers planned to engage women in markets, households and communities to discuss their concerns and communicate the administration’s achievements. She also urged party supporters to conduct peaceful door-to-door mobilisation without intimidation or coercion as the APC seeks to build support across the country.
APC leaders have expressed confidence that northern voters will support Tinubu. Salihu Mustapha, a former party national vice-chairman for the North-East, pointed to political appointments, revenue allocations to state governments, student loans and security policies as evidence of the administration’s efforts. He also claimed that northern political stakeholders had reached a broad consensus in favour of Tinubu.
Farouk Aliyu, an APC chieftain involved in campaign organisation, admitted that the election would be tough but said the party would campaign across the North and explain its policies to voters. He argued that Nigerians should be given more time to experience the benefits of the administration’s economic reforms.
Atiku Abubakar’s camp has rejected the APC’s optimism, insisting that widespread hardship could undermine Tinubu’s re-election bid. Paul Ibe, the former vice-president’s media adviser, said rising prices and economic pressures were affecting Nigerians across ethnic, religious and regional lines, making the state of the economy a central issue in the coming election.
The campaign flag-off comes amid preparations for rallies in other states, including Calabar, Gombe, Lafia and Ado-Ekiti in early November. Arewa for Asiwaju, a pro-Tinubu group, has separately set a target of bringing 10,000 supporters from the 19 northern states and the FCT to Kaduna. The APC’s campaign activities are scheduled to continue through January 2027.