2027: Ene Lilian Ogbole-led North North Central Agenda declares support for Tinubu’s second term

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, a political advocacy group, the North Central Agenda (NCA), has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term, declaring that his re-election is “a done deal” in the North Central geopolitical zone.

The endorsement was announced on Tuesday during a one-day conference on the development of the North Central under the Renewed Hope Agenda, held in Abuja. The event attracted delegates from the six North Central states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Speaking at the conference, the Convener of the NCA, Dr Ene Lilian Ogbole, said the group’s decision was informed by what it described as the Tinubu administration’s investments in infrastructure, agriculture, education and security across the region.

According to her, the North Central had endured years of infrastructural neglect and insecurity before the current administration came into office in May 2023, but significant progress had since been recorded.

She cited several ongoing federal road projects, including the Calabar–Abuja Super Highway corridor, sections of the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway passing through Niger and Kwara states, the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe–Maiduguri Highway, the Suleja–Minna Dual Carriageway, and the Lokoja–Okene Dualisation as well as the Makurdi–Aliade–Otukpo Road.

Dr Ogbole also highlighted interventions in the education sector through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). She added that improved security had enabled many farmers to return to their farmlands, boosting agricultural activities in the region.

“The fair and judicious spread of capital projects has changed the narrative from neglect to recognition and development,” she said.

She pledged that the group would mobilise voters across the North Central to secure President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

“We are pledging to mobilise massively across the North Central states to support the re-election of the President. For us, this re-election is a done deal,” she added.

Representing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, his Senior Assistant (Technical), Prof. Babatunde Bolaji Benard, said the Tinubu administration was laying the foundation for Nigeria’s long-term economic prosperity through bold but necessary reforms.

He likened the reforms to cooking beans, saying patience was required before the benefits became evident.

“The President is taking decisions that may not produce instant results, but they are the kind of reforms that will secure Nigeria’s future,” he said.

Prof. Benard cited the Student Loan Scheme and ongoing nationwide infrastructure projects as major achievements, arguing that investments in roads, dams and other critical infrastructure would drive economic growth, boost agriculture and create employment opportunities.

He urged Nigerians to support leaders committed to sustainable national development rather than short-term political gains.

Also speaking, APC chieftain from Benue State, Okpokwu Ogenyi, praised President Tinubu’s security interventions and development projects in Benue, describing the President’s chances of winning the state in 2027 as “a walkover.”

Meanwhile, supporters of the President dismissed recent remarks by former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who suggested that the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket would remain a major issue in the 2027 election.

Responding, the Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), Dr Umar Tanko Yakasai, argued that Nigerians had already settled the issue by electing Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

He maintained that the North Central, which has a significant Christian population, had benefited substantially from federal appointments and infrastructure projects under the current administration.

“President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated that he governs for all Nigerians irrespective of religion or ethnicity,” Yakasai said, adding that appointments under the administration reflected equitable representation across the country.