Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged supporters of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket to pursue peaceful and issue-based political engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that violence, intimidation and electoral misconduct could undermine the democratic process.
Shettima spoke on Monday in Abuja during the formal inauguration of the national structure of Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, a coalition comprising transport groups across the road, rail, aviation, maritime, logistics and pipeline sectors.
Represented by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President, Shettima described transporters as “credible witnesses to our struggles” because of their daily interaction with Nigerians across the country.
“Every day you convey people and goods from one part of the nation to another, and this makes you credible witnesses to our struggles,” the Vice President said.
He urged members of the coalition to channel their political activities towards constructive engagement, stressing that elections should provide citizens with an opportunity to express their preferences without resorting to violence.
“No political objective is improved by disorder,” Shettima said. “Elections are opportunities for every citizen or group to express their interests and demonstrate their preferences.”
Hadejia, who represented the Vice President at the event, also performed the formal inauguration of the group’s National Working Committee, coordinators for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as coordinators for all 774 local government areas.
The inauguration further consolidated the coalition’s campaign structure as it begins mobilisation for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima in 2027.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Barrister Emeka Okafor commended the transporters for coming together under one platform to support the administration.
“The APC Chairman and the entire party leadership commend you for coming together under this platform to support our President and Vice President,” Okafor said.
He urged the coalition to take the administration’s achievements to the grassroots and mobilise support for the consolidation of the Renewed Hope agenda beyond 2027.
The National Coordinator of Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, Prince Segun Obayendo, said the coalition was developing a digital membership database and claimed that it currently represents more than 19 million transporters nationwide.
Obayendo said the group was targeting more than eight million votes for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the 2027 election.
“We are not just talking for talking sake. We are talking because we are united. We are talking because we are working with data,” he said.
He also highlighted the administration’s transportation policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy, expansion of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives and investments in electric mobility, arguing that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated greater commitment to the transport sector than previous governments.
He said the coalition’s structure, extending from the national level to states and all local government areas, would strengthen its grassroots political mobilisation ahead of the election.
Also speaking, Prince Adetokunbo Ademola Ade-John, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, commended the administration’s infrastructure investments and called on transport unions to embrace digital passenger manifests and strengthen security reporting.
Ade-John said illegal movement of crude oil and minerals had been reduced, urging stakeholders to ensure that such activities did not return.
In a goodwill message, Dr Obiakpor Odire, who represented the Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group, Dr Umar Tanko Yakasai, described transporters as strategic partners in grassroots mobilisation.
“Your network and reach will be vital in taking the message of renewed hope to the grassroots,” Odire said.
The event also attracted leaders from major transport unions, including Alhaji Mohammed Sanni of the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NACTOMORAS), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), FCT Abuja, and Ambassador Aisha Mousa Lawal of the United Keke Owners and Riders Association in Nigeria.
Their participation highlighted the coalition’s broad reach across Nigeria’s transport sector as the group formally commenced its mobilisation and campaign activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.