Jigawa Residents Declare Support for Tinubu’s 2027 Re-election as NITDA DG Leads Mobilisation

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja 

Hundreds of supporters in Garun Gabas Ward, Malam Madori Local Government Area of Jigawa State, have declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s anticipated 2027 re-election bid, chanting “Tinubu Must Stay” during the inauguration of a grassroots campaign office.

The mobilisation exercise was led by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and National Coordinator of the Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation (TMS), popularly known as the Tinubu Must Stay Movement.

The event attracted All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders, community leaders, women, youths and supporters, alongside members of opposition parties who announced their defection to the APC.

Speaking at the inauguration, Abdullahi said the movement was expanding its grassroots structures to sensitise Nigerians on the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the movement was established to take the administration's reform agenda to communities and ensure that citizens understand the objectives of its economic and development policies.

According to him, the Tinubu administration's focus on economic diversification, inclusivity and national prosperity requires sustained public support and continuity in policy implementation.

Abdullahi highlighted government interventions in education, agriculture, food security, national security, digital literacy and healthcare, describing them as critical components of the administration's development agenda.

Citing South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, he argued that sustained reforms and policy consistency were essential to achieving economic transformation.

He consequently urged residents to support Tinubu's anticipated re-election bid, expressing confidence that continuity would enable the administration to consolidate its development programmes.

Beyond political mobilisation, the NITDA Director-General announced plans to empower another 200 women in Garun Gabas Ward through the movement's community intervention programmes.

He said the initiative would build on previous empowerment exercises across Jigawa State, including a recent programme in Hadejia, where beneficiaries received financial support, sewing machines, bakery equipment and agricultural inputs to strengthen their businesses and improve household incomes.

He added that the movement would continue to prioritise women, youths, children, vulnerable persons and persons with disabilities through economic empowerment, educational support and other community development initiatives.

The event also witnessed the defection of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the APC.

The defectors, who were received by Abdullahi and the local APC leadership, attributed their decision to what they described as development interventions and improved access to opportunities in their communities.

They particularly cited projects facilitated through NITDA as reasons for their confidence in the administration's development agenda.

In his remarks, the APC Chairman in Malam Madori Local Government Area, Alhaji Tanko Ahmad, commended Abdullahi for facilitating digital infrastructure projects, particularly the establishment of an Information and Communication Technology Development Centre at Government Secondary School, Garun Gabas.

Ahmad said the centre had provided students with opportunities to acquire digital skills and prepare for emerging opportunities in the technology-driven economy.

He pledged the party's continued support for the TMS movement, assuring that APC structures in the area would intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Also speaking, the TMS Convener in Garun Gabas, Engineer Hashim Suleiman, described the massive turnout as evidence of growing grassroots acceptance of the movement.

He explained that the initiative began with activities in the United Kingdom before its formal launch in Abuja and subsequent expansion to communities across Nigeria.

Suleiman said the Garun Gabas inauguration was part of a broader mobilisation strategy that would extend to more wards and local government areas.

He also encouraged beneficiaries of the movement's empowerment programmes to utilise the support productively to establish sustainable businesses and improve their economic independence.

A major highlight of the event was the presentation of an Award of Recognition to Abdullahi by the TMS leadership in Garun Gabas in appreciation of his contributions to digital infrastructure development and grassroots engagement.

The inauguration marks another phase of the movement's nationwide grassroots mobilisation efforts, combining political sensitisation, community engagement and economic empowerment ahead of the 2027 general elections.