Tinubu at a campaign rally. Several governors of the northern states and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) trooped out on Saturday to drum up support for the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, at a rally in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The event came just 48 hours after a similar spectacle in Ibadan, Oyo State, where an APC rally brought the former headquarters of the defunct Western Region to a standstill.
In Maiduguri, major streets—especially those leading from the Borno State Government House to the palace of the Shehu of Borno and to El‑Kanemi Stadium, the rally venue—were filled with jubilant supporters bearing colourful APC placards and banners. The National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, members of the National Working Committee, and governors Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger) were in attendance. Also present were Minister of State for Agriculture Mustapha Baba Shehuri, members of the National Assembly, former chiefs of army staff Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.) and Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), among others. The absence of Kaduna State Governor Nasir El‑Rufai was noticeable at the carnival‑like event.
The heavy campaign train halted human and vehicular movement in major parts of the city as many supporters abandoned their vehicles to trek long distances for a glimpse of the APC presidential candidate. Speaking at the rally and at the Shehu’s palace, key stakeholders assured Tinubu of victory in the February 25 poll. The colourful event also brought together prominent figures in Borno politics, including all former governors, who pledged commitment to the APC’s success.
In his address at the palace, Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Zulum expressed gratitude to Tinubu for selecting a son of the state as his running mate. “You have done all for us and now it is for us to deliver APC in Borno State,” he said, adding that Tinubu had shown concern for the state during the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency. “During our trying times he has always been with us. He has visited us seven or eight times in the last eleven years. No one else has done anything like that for us,” Zulum noted.
Former Borno governors Maina Ma’aji Lawal, Ali Modu Sheriff and Kashim Shettima took turns addressing the rally, saying Borno’s faith in the APC has been strengthened by Shettima’s nomination as vice‑presidential candidate. They assured Tinubu that the state would deliver overwhelming votes. Governors Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe challenged residents not to let any other state outvote them in support of the APC, citing the party’s generosity to them.
In his speech, Tinubu promised to reactivate oil exploration in the Lake Chad Basin and to recharge the drying lake, creating jobs and boosting agricultural production. “Security is top on our agenda and Nigeria will see peace and stability. The Borno people and their neighbours will witness prosperity and happiness,” he declared, assuring those facing difficulties that relief was imminent. He paid tribute to his running mate, noting that they share attributes that will make Nigeria greater. “Just as I did in Lagos, Shettima has done the same in Borno by laying a good foundation and ensuring good leadership succession. Zulum is a symbol of continuity. Shettima is a representation of achievement,” Tinubu concluded.
Comments are closed for this story.