Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum has declared that Northern Nigeria will support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, citing visible progress across key sectors as a basis for the region’s continued backing.
Speaking on Monday at the opening of a two-day interactive session on government-citizen engagement organised by the Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation at Arewa House, Kaduna, Governor Yahaya stated that the north’s overwhelming support for Tinubu in 2023 was a strategic choice — one that is already yielding results in infrastructure, energy, security, and agriculture.
“When candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu stood before us during the 2023 campaign, he made specific commitments to Northern Nigeria. The north, believing in President Tinubu’s vision, voted strongly for him, contributing to over 60% of his winning votes,” Yahaya said.
The forum, themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizen Engagement for National Unity”, was convened, according to Yahaya, not for “empty rhetoric” but to engage in honest evaluation of federal government performance. He asserted that despite economic and security headwinds, the Tinubu administration has recorded meaningful gains for the north.
“The evidence of progress is visible across our region,” Yahaya said, listing projects such as the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, the Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail line, rehabilitation of the Kaduna Refinery, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, and oil exploration in the Kolmani oilfields as signs of the administration’s commitment.
He also mentioned the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, inter-state road expansion, agriculture value chain investments, and health infrastructure upgrades as emerging efforts targeted at regional development.
Yahaya praised the administration’s response to insecurity in the north, stating that over 300 bandit and terrorist leaders have been neutralised through coordinated security operations.
Also speaking at the event, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State noted that it would be “difficult for any governor in Nigeria to oppose President Bola Tinubu’s re-election” due to the scale of federal engagement across the country.
The session brought together political leaders, civil society actors, and development experts to assess government performance and promote accountability, especially in light of promises made during the 2023 elections.