The Hausa Community in Ondo State has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima remain the best leadership option for Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
They made the declaration on Friday in Akure during a mobilisation programme organised by the Grassroots Movement for Tinubu (GMT), a political support group backed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Speaking at the event, the State Leader of the Hausa Community in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Bala Umaru, expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s administration’s ongoing reforms in agriculture, security, infrastructure and other sectors.
Umaru said the Hausa community, from the 18 local government areas of Ondo, has endorsed President Tinubu and his Vice President, Shettima, to reposition the country for sustainable development.
He observed that the administration inherited significant economic and social challenges but had demonstrated commitment to addressing them through reforms and interventions targeted at food security, infrastructure, transport, investment, job creation and economic growth.
‘Today is more than a political gathering. It is an opportunity for us to speak with one voice about the Nigeria we want, and the kind of leadership we believe can take us there.
‘The leader is none other than His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and our decision as the Hausa community in Ondo State is to support his administration and endorse him alongside our Vice President, His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, for a second term in office,’ Umaru said.
He also lauded the Federal government’s road construction projects, saying improved road infrastructure was essential to the economic activities of northern Nigerians who transport agricultural produce to different parts of the country.
‘In the history of Nigeria, there is no President who has embarked on massive road construction like the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
‘Good roads play a significant role in the economy of we northerners. They make it easier for us to transport our goods, especially farm produce, to any part of the country,’ he said.
Umaru also appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the administration, stressing that some of the reforms would require time before their full impact could be felt.
He further cited Tinubu’s contribution to the political emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari as one reason the Hausa community should reciprocate the support.
‘These are not things that can be achieved overnight. They require patience, consistency and cooperation from all Nigerians.’
‘President Tinubu also played a significant role in installing the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. It is just natural for any northerner to support President Tinubu’s second-term bid,’ he said.
Umaru said the community’s decision was also motivated by its desire for a peaceful, prosperous and united Nigeria.
He applauded the Minister of Interior, Dr Tunji-Ojo, for his leadership, commitment and development initiatives.
The Director-General of GMT, Hon. Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, said the Hausa endorsement was part of the group’s wider mobilisation of ethnic communities and non-indigenes across Ondo State for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
Yusuf-Ogunleye said the group had previously secured endorsements from the Ebira and Igbo communities, adding that the Hausa community had now joined the campaign.
‘Different ethnic groups in Ondo State have been endorsing President Tinubu. We started with the Ebira community. Last week, the Igbo community did their own. Today, the Hausa people from all 18 local government areas are here to endorse the President’s second-term bid,’ he said.
He said the Hausa community had acknowledged what he described as the achievements of the Tinubu administration and decided to support the President despite the possibility of other aspirants from the northern region contesting the presidency.
‘That is the spirit of sportsmanship. That is the spirit of oneness,’ he said.
Yusuf-Ogunleye added that the Hausa community, which he described as committed and loyal, supported Tinubu in the 2023 election and had resolved to back him again in 2027.
He also commended Tunji-Ojo for providing resources to mobilise residents and non-indigenes across the state in support of the President.
Similarly, a member of the GMT Board of Trustees, Hon. Adekola Olawoye, SAN, described the gathering as a significant mobilisation event and expressed satisfaction with the turnout of Hausa residents from the 18 local government areas.
Olawoye said the group had been engaging different ethnic communities in the state as part of its mobilisation strategy.
‘We have been mobilising non-indigenes in the state, different ethnic groups, to support the President. Our target is one million votes for the President,’ he said.