Kaduna and the meaning of Tinubu’s second march

By Tunde Rahman

History has a way of choosing its own geography. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu chose Kaduna to flag off his 2027 re-election campaign on Saturday, October 24, 2026, he chose more than a location. He was sending a historic message.

Kaduna is Nigeria’s political ground zero. From here, the old Northern Region administered the entire North. It was here that alliances were forged. By starting his campaign where the North still feels its pulse, Tinubu told northern Nigeria, “I have not forgotten you.”

Ranchers Bees Stadium, Kaduna, the rally venue, was packed with party supporters and sympathisers who had thronged the stadium from as early as 7 am. Some supporters slept overnight at the stadium. President Tinubu’s speech was deliberate, confident, and unusually personal.

“My good people of Kaduna, it’s good to be back here again. You have listened to many speeches. I’m not going to bore you down. I’m happy to be here with you.”

The President thanked Kaduna people for their support in the 2023 election, but stated that he had come to seek their support again for a second mandate to keep a promise of prosperity, continuity, progress and development.

For three years, Tinubu’s biggest vulnerability has been the economy. On Saturday, he did not dodge it.

He said: “I hear my opponents talking about hunger and poverty. Who created it? They did. They created the hunger. We are trying to eradicate it.”

He declared that his administration had demonstrated its commitment to improving Nigerians’ welfare through economic reforms, regular salary payments, and development initiatives implemented by APC Governors across the federation.

President Tinubu could not have chosen Kaduna without addressing insecurity. Three years ago, Birnin-Gwari was synonymous with fear. Today, the Kaduna-Abuja road is safer, and farming is returning to Giwa and Soba. Tinubu credited the military push and Governor Uba Sani’s non-kinetic approach.

Governor Uba Sani himself highlighted these achievements in security, infrastructure, and more, commending the President for his support and interventions in the state. For Kaduna, that resonance matters more than any statistic from Abuja.

Unlike in 2023, President Tinubu came to Kaduna this time with receipts showing his performance. These include GDP steady growth, falling inflation, naira stability, doubled FAAC allocations to states, rising foreign reserves, infrastructure renewal, NELFUND loans for indigent students, and consumer credit for young people, among others. The message was clear: The first term was surgery; the second term will be recovery, progress and prosperity.

It is a powerful argument, because even his critics admit state governors now have more money than ever. President Tinubu doubled down on the governors’ performance: “We pay salaries regularly. Our governors are working. I’m proud of them. They are developing. I salute all our governors today. I can see the development strides they are making in their various states.”

For the North, it’s a debt repaid. President Tinubu got about 62% of his votes from the North in 2023. He made promises to the region. He has kept his promises in terms of road and rail infrastructure, interventions in healthcare, improving security, and governmental appointments,

The Kaduna rally also included key strategic moments worth mentioning.

Both Vice President Kashim Shettima and Tinubu/ Shettima Presidential Campaign Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, harped on Tinubu’s strategic support for key Northerners in the previous bid for the presidency.

In 2007, President Tinubu offered former Vice President Atiku Abubakar his ACN platform to run when former President Obasanjo hounded him out of the PDP. The President also backed Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and late Muhammadu Buhari to be president in 2015 and 2019.

According to them, Tinubu supported our sons for 20 years. Now, we should support him again for a second term. VP Shettima maintained that supporting Tinubu’s re-election is a matter of honour, integrity, political loyalty, and appreciation for the President’s contributions to advancing Northern political leaders over the years.

With VP Shettima beside him, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Campaign DG Yari, and even former opponents like FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Governors Chukwuma Soludo and Ademola Adeleke now on his expanded Campaign Council, President Tinubu projected something the opposition lacks—a broad national coalition.

Why Kaduna Matters for 2027

The APC says it wants two million votes from Kaduna State. That is ambitious, but the symbolism is more important than the number. If President Tinubu can hold the North-West, with a Sokoto rally billed for December 5 and Kano for December 17, win the South-West, and split North-Central, the math becomes very difficult for Atiku’s ADC, Makinde’s APM, and Obi/Kwankwaso’s camp to solve.

The opposition is still running from one small party to another. Tinubu is running on a solid pan-Nigerian structure. Last Saturday in Kaduna, President Tinubu did not just flag off a campaign. He framed the 2027 election as a choice between continuity and chaos, between finishing the reforms and abandoning them midway. He is clear about what he thinks should be done: finish the job.

• Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Special Duties, is a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors