Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have resolved to take responsibility for delivering President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the January 2027 presidential election.

They said they are united and solidly behind his re-election bid.

Emerging from a closed-door meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, said the governors had agreed that the responsibility for prosecuting the President’s campaign and delivering the required votes would rest substantially on them at the sub-national level.

Each governor is expected to deliver his state, he said.

According to Uzodimma, the APC governors will lead both the campaign and the election proper in their respective states, working alongside the party and other leaders to secure the President’s return to office.

He said: “All the APC governors are solidly behind Mr President. To that extent, governors are expected to deliver their states, and they know where; he who is wearing the shoes knows where it is pinching him.

So, the governors will identify what is required to carry out a successful and colourful campaign in their various states.

“The responsibility of delivering the elections lies on the shoulders of the governors at the sub-national level, and it is a combination of what has happened at the sub-national level and the push at the federal level that will yield the result we are looking for.”

He added that the governors were unanimous in their support for Tinubu and would work with the APC leadership and other stakeholders to ensure a successful campaign.

“That all of us are in total agreement and we are united. We are supporting Mr President’s re-election. We are supporting the success of the election.

“We will work with our party, the APC. We will work with other leaders of the party.

“The governors will lead the campaign and the election proper,” he declared.

The meeting came shortly after Thursday’s 160th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House.

Uzodimma said President Tinubu’s engagement with the governors centred on two broad areas: governance and politics, with discussions on governance taking the larger part of the meeting.

On the political component, he said the President formally informed the governors about the constitution of the presidential election committee, adding that the governors expressed total agreement with the arrangement and committed themselves to delivering Tinubu at the polls.

“We had an audience with the President and we spoke basically on two issues: one, politics; and two, governance.

“Second to it is politics, the upcoming election, the constitution of Presidential Election Committee, which the President informed us officially, and we are in total agreement.

“What we have agreed with Mr President is that he will be delivered,” the PGF chairman said.

Uzodimma explained that the governors’ confidence was based partly on their understanding of the political peculiarities of their respective states, arguing that those at the sub-national level were best placed to determine strategies required to prosecute an effective campaign.

He said success at the presidential election would depend on combining the political strength and performance of APC administrations in the states with the efforts of the Tinubu administration at the federal level.

On governance, Uzodimma said discussions focused extensively on measures to reduce the cost of living, particularly through cheaper transportation, improved food security and increased agricultural production.

According to him, the President and governors also reviewed ways of ensuring that the gains from reforms undertaken by the administration over the past few years reach ordinary Nigerians and translate into improved living conditions.

“Governance, which took most of the time, is about how to reduce cost of living in Nigeria, ease the cost of transportation, food security, agriculture, bring prosperity to the people and ensure that the dividends of the various reforms we have gotten over the years trickle down to the people so that the people can feel it,” he said.

Uzodimma said the meeting also examined the need to assess the impact of the administration’s policies and reforms and identify areas where improvements could be made.

He added that the governors were satisfied with the discussions and the measures being considered to ease economic pressures on Nigerians.

According to him, the objective is to ensure that the effects of government reforms are felt directly by citizens rather than remaining merely as improvements in economic indicators.

Also speaking after the meeting, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, said President Tinubu emphasised the need for unity within the APC and the country as the nation moves closer to the 2027 elections.

Sule said the President also stressed the responsibility of governors to intensify efforts towards poverty reduction and inclusive governance, noting that the political contest would ultimately be fought at the state and grassroots levels rather than in Abuja.

“Mr President continued to emphasise the unity of the party, the unity of the country, reduction of poverty in this country and what the governors must do to ensure that we do everything possible to reduce poverty and to make sure that we carry everybody along,” Sule said.

Corroborating Uzodimma’s position that governors would play the central role in prosecuting Tinubu’s re-election campaign, the Nasarawa governor said electoral contests are won in the states and not at the federal capital.

“Because the elections are actually at the states and they are not in Abuja, the governors take the lead of this campaign at the states,” he said.

Sule added that the presidential campaign council would be examined and necessary steps taken to put the appropriate structures in place for the election. DesigningCustom Campaign Merchandise

Beyond politics, the Nasarawa governor said a significant part of the meeting focused on the Tinubu administration’s plans to expand domestic gas utilisation, particularly through the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

Sule said he was particularly impressed by the President’s grasp of issues surrounding Nigeria’s gas resources and the opportunities they present for reducing transportation and energy costs.

“My own amazement is the amount of knowledge Mr President has about gas in this country,” he said.

According to him, Tinubu spoke extensively about gas utilisation, particularly CNG, and the resources his administration has committed to developing the sector. (The Nation)