It was all bustling in Kaduna metropolis yesterday as the city revved up preparation to host the formal take off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign today.

State governors, party leaders including the APC national chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council Abdulaziz Yari, thousands of party supporters and members of support groups from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) trooped into the city ahead of President Bola Tinubu and his entourage who are expected in town today.

All hotels in and around the city are fully booked by delegates to the event.

The Ranchers Bees Stadium, venue of the event, is wearing a new look with APC flags, billboards and banners hoisted all over it.

Security has been tightened. Police and other security operatives are deployed across the metropolis especially along the roads leading to the stadium.

In what appeared to be a warm up, support groups backing President Tinubu yesterday staged a solidarity road march in Kaduna.

They declared their readiness to mobilise Nigerians for his re-election in 2027.

The march, organised under the auspices of the Support Groups Mobilisation Directorate of the Presidential Campaign Council, attracted members of various pro-Tinubu groups, who marched through major streets to demonstrate their support for the President.

Speaking during the exercise, Director of the Support Groups Mobilisation Directorate, Silas Ali Agara, said it was to welcome President Tinubu to Kaduna and demonstrate the commitment of support groups to his second-term ambition.

Agara said about 10,000 support groups had been mobilised nationwide.

“We want to show Mr President that Nigerians love him, the people of Kaduna State love him, and the youth of this country love him,” he said.

According to him, the directorate has put structures in place across the country to ensure effective mobilisation of supporters at the grassroots ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He explained that similar solidarity marches would be organised in every state visited by the President during the campaign, with local support groups expected to demonstrate their strength and readiness to mobilise voters.

Agara commended members of the various support groups, particularly the Northwest zonal coordinators, for their commitment and impressive turnout despite the short notice.

He also acknowledged the contributions of the Minister of State for Works and other stakeholders towards the successful organisation of the exercise.

The director assured that the mobilisation would not be restricted to campaign rallies, stressing that the groups would maintain a strong presence in communities across the country to sustain support for Tinubu’s re-election.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Works, Barrister Bello Muhammad Goronyo, described the solidarity march as a demonstration of the growing support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Goronyo, who doubles as Secretary of the Northwest support group structure, said supporters of the President were determined to ensure his re-election to enable him to consolidate the achievements of his administration.

He cited ongoing interventions in road infrastructure, water supply, education, healthcare and other critical sectors as reasons Nigerians should support the President for another term.

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“We thank Mr President for his unwavering commitment to the welfare and well-being of Nigerians,” the minister said.

He urged the support groups to remain united and intensify grassroots mobilisation, assuring that the campaign structures would continue to work together to deliver victory for the APC in 2027.

Goronyo also called for sustained support for Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, other APC governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives and state lawmakers, saying the party needed collective efforts to consolidate its electoral fortunes.

The minister expressed confidence that the solidarity march would further strengthen coordination among political leaders, campaign officials and grassroots support groups as the presidential campaign moved to other parts of the country.

Similarly, the Director-General of the National Productivity Centre and Northwest Coordinator of the Tinubu Support Group under the Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Baffa Babba Dan’Agundi, commended the organisers and participants for their commitment to the President’s re-election project.

Dan’Agundi said the road march was designed to demonstrate the preparedness of support groups ahead of the campaign flag-off and subsequent presidential campaign engagements across the federation.

He explained that the mobilisation strategy would enable the campaign leadership to assess the strength, presence and readiness of support groups in states scheduled to host the President.

The coordinator particularly acknowledged the contributions of Hon. James Abiodun Faleke and other campaign stakeholders towards the coordination and success of the exercise.

He assured that the groups would continue to work together to strengthen grassroots participation and sustain mobilisation for Tinubu throughout the electioneering period.

Another campaign official commended participants for responding to the mobilisation at short notice, describing the march as a rallying point for supporters ahead of today’s presidential campaign flag-off.

He also expressed optimism that the solidarity demonstrated by the groups would be sustained throughout the campaign.

We’re expecting massive turnout, says APC

The North West APC Publicity Secretary Mailafiya Mada ,speaking yesterday ahead of the rally said the party was expecting a massive turnout of supporters.

He said concerns about public safety, venue capacity, logistics, and crowd management had been considered, with measures being put in place to address them.

He acknowledged concerns that Ranchers Bees Stadium might be too small to accommodate the anticipated crowd but explained that Ahmadu Bello Stadium, the alternative venue, is undergoing renovation.

Mr Mada said the campaign leadership was also mindful of the possibility of a turnout exceeding the capacity of the selected venue.

“We have a certain number of people that can be accommodated inside, while arrangements will be made to manage the others around the venue,” he said.

Mr Mada stressed that the objective was not merely to accommodate everyone within the venue but also to demonstrate the level of support and goodwill for the president and the party.

He explained that state party chairmen leading delegations from across the country were aware of the venue constraints and expected to work within the arrangements made by the campaign leadership.

Mr Mada said organisers were conscious of the need to manage the expected crowd and ensure that the event proceeded smoothly.

Asked about the estimated number of people expected at the rally, Mr Mada said it was difficult to give a definite figure because of the different groups and individuals expected to attend.

He explained that delegations would arrive from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alongside supporters mobilised through party structures and individual politicians.

“I cannot project the number because this is the kind of event that brings together delegations from the 36 states and the FCT.

“There are those coming through the party, those being sponsored, as well as individual politicians who will mobilise their supporters.

“But I assure you that the turnout is going to be massive. We expect a massive turnout,” he said.

Tinubu to inaugurate 81km Abuja-Kaduna highway at APC campaign flag-off

On the sideline of the campaign launch today, President Tinubu will inaugurate an 81-kilometre stretch of the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

The road, constructed with reinforced concrete pavement and equipped with streetlights, forms part of the administration’s infrastructure development programme in the Northwest, where the Federal Government is targeting a total of 4,084 kilometres of roads.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said on his verified X handle, @aonanuga, that the state of the road would make nighttime travel along the corridor easier.

The X post highlighted major road and railway projects being by the Tinubu administration across the geopolitical zone.

According to Onanuga, the Federal Government has completed 348 kilometres of inherited and newly initiated road projects in the Northwest, while another 1,811 kilometres of road projects are partially completed.

Previewing today’s event,he said:”Kaduna is getting set to host the first rally of the APC Presidential campaign on Saturday.”

On the road,Onanuga said: “Those travelling by road from Abuja to Kaduna in the night, will notice the road lighting for 81 kilometre stretch on a solid, concrete highway, built by the Tinubu administration.”

According to him, substantial work has been completed on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway, one of the country’s major transportation corridors linking the Federal Capital Territory with the Northwest.

One hundred and eighteen kilometres of Lot 1 of the highway has been completed, including 81 kilometres constructed using continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), which would be inaugurated by the President during the Kaduna rally.

Similarly, another 164 kilometres of Lot 2 of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway has been completed using reinforced concrete pavement.

Onanuga he said the 77-kilometre Kaduna-Pambeguwa road would be formally inaugurated by the President during the APC presidential campaign rally in Jos, Plateau State.

Beyond the completed projects, the presidential aide outlined several ongoing road developments, including sections of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, designated as the second legacy infrastructure project of the Renewed Hope administration.

He said that work on the Sokoto section, covering 120 kilometres of dual carriageway, equivalent to 240 kilometres of road, had reached 60 per cent completion.

The Kebbi section of the same highway, covering 254 kilometres of dual carriageway, equivalent to 508 kilometres of road, had attained 40 per cent completion, according to the presidential spokesman.

Onanuga also highlighted the 350-kilometre Sokoto-Zamfara-Zaria dual carriageway, equivalent to 700 kilometres of road, which is being executed in four sections.

He said the project had attained an average completion level of 30 per cent across the four sections.

Other ongoing projects listed by the presidential aide include the 153-kilometre Kano-Kongolam road, the 132-kilometre Zaria-Hunkuyi road and the 123-kilometre Mando-Birnin Gwari road.

Onanuga also disclosed that the administration had completed 149 emergency road projects across the Northwest, although he did not provide their individual locations or financial details.

Turning to railway infrastructure, the presidential spokesman identified two major metropolitan rail projects involving substantial investments in Kaduna and Kano states.

He listed the Kaduna Metropolitan Rail Line, valued at $865 million, among the administration’s railway infrastructure interventions in the region.

Similarly, he highlighted a light rail project within the Kano metropolitan area, valued at more than ₦1 trillion, as another major component of the Federal Government’s transportation development programme.

The presidential aide, however, did not specify the implementation stages or expected completion dates of the two metropolitan railway projects. (The Nation)