By HUSSAINA YAKUBU

Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State on Saturday canvassed support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The duo spoke at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna.

Shettima said the administration deserved another mandate, citing infrastructure development, education funding, economic reforms and efforts to strengthen national unity.

He thanked APC supporters for their loyalty, saying cooperation among party leaders had helped sustain the country despite economic challenges.

The vice-president particularly highlighted federal interventions in Kaduna, including Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Federal University of Education, Zaria, and vocational institutes across the state.

He also cited Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) and ongoing infrastructure projects, including Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline and major road and rail corridors.

Shettima urged Kaduna residents to renew the mandates of Tinubu and Sani, describing APC as committed to continuity and development.

He also recalled Tinubu’s long-standing political alliances with northern leaders, including former President Muhammadu Buhari, as evidence of his commitment to the region.

Gov Sani, in his address of welcome, commended Tinubu for interventions in transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and human capital development.

He said the 123-kilometre Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road, which had been abandoned for more than 40 years, was undergoing reconstruction, following federal funding.

According to him, security has improved along the corridor, while more than 300 schools and 150 primary healthcare centres previously closed because of insecurity had reopened.

The governor also cited ongoing reconstruction of Zaria-Soba-Funtua Road and Abuja-Kaduna Expressway which, he said, was about 95 per cent complete.

Sani said the North-West zone had received N84 billion through Nelfund, benefitting about 414,000 students across the region.

He added that federal skills acquisition programmes had supported vocational training and economic opportunities for residents.

The governor urged Nigerians, particularly voters in Northern Nigeria, to support Tinubu’s re-election, citing the administration’s projects and agricultural interventions.

Earlier, the Director-General of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, said Kaduna was deliberately selected to host the campaign flag-off.

Yari commended APC governors, particularly Sani, for their contributions to the staging of the event.

He accused opposition groups of using artificial intelligence-generated content to spread misinformation, insisting that elections should be won through performance and engagement with voters.

Yari, a former Zamfara governor, claimed that about two million farmers had pledged support for Tinubu’s re-election, adding that campaign officials were engaging traditional rulers, religious leaders and community stakeholders.

He expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects in 2027, citing infrastructure projects, economic reforms and agricultural interventions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the occasion attracted APC leaders, governors, political stakeholders and supporters from across the country. (NAN)