2027: North Central Youths Appoint Jibrin As Patron, Insist On 5m Votes For Tinubu

Foremost political support group under the aegis of North Central Youths Support Group for Tinubu, on Tuesday, decorated Dr Muhammed Jibrin as its Patron, saying his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over time has earned him recognition.

The Director General of the group, Comrade Abdullahi Jemilu, while presenting the appointment letter to Dr Jibrin in Abuja, said the youths had already pledged to galvanise five million votes for President Tinubu in the North Central zone come 2027, but with the support of the newly decorated Patron, the votes would be achievable, and it would surpass the target.

He said, “By the special grace of God, we will get above 5 million votes, because after our inauguration, we’re getting more individuals coming to merge with our vision of bringing the President back to power”.

On his part, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the group and former Federal Lawmaker from Kogi State, Hon. Hassan Omale Atayoma, said the interest of the group was to make sure Tinubu returns to power as President in 2027, adding that the moment he returns to the office, Nigeria would be a better place.

On the gang-up by oppositions and coalition parties, Omale described them as jokers, saying, “I am not seeing any gang-up in Nigeria that can unseat Asiwaju in 2027. In politics, you must always expect competition and contests.

That’s the beauty of democracy. If you are contesting alone, that’s not an election.

That means democracy is not in place. Take, for instance, the just-concluded FCT Council elections. What did the so-called coalition do? Even the PDP, which is regarded as the least political party in Nigeria, still beat them. So, we are not scared of them at all. When we get to the bridge, we shall know how to cross it”.

Speaking on campaigns against Tinubu that he had not done enough for the people of North Central, Omale said, “In terms of infrastructural development, the President is doing well, and it cuts across the 7 subnationals in the region”. He added that those criticising the President were doing so because they were not in the same party with him and they needed to play opposition politics, stressing that, “that’s normal in politics, but I am assuring you that Tinubu will win, and he will win hands down. I’m assuring you that, by 12 noon on election day, we would have packed our bags and been returning to Abuja to celebrate with our President”.

In his acceptance speech, Dr Jibrin said he would be committed to anything related to President Tinubu’s aspirations. He eulogised the President’s economic policies, calling for calm to enable him to complete his good works.

“There is no state in the entire Nigeria and Africa at large that can stand the economy of Lagos. Who laid the foundation? President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Today, Lagos State is the 5th-largest economy in Africa. Lagos State is just like a country. Has anyone been to Lagos Atlantic? President Bola Ahmed Tinubu created that idea.

“I believe it’s like a national call for him to fix Nigeria’s economy. He met a shattered economy and came in to fix the economy. And he brought in policies to fix the economy. And every policy has an initial phase, and most people are feeling that right now: they’re feeling bad. If Nigeria were a person and Nigeria is sick and we need to operate on it, if the operation is not done, it may die. If the surgery is done, the cut and injury will need to heal. After healing, the person will be alright.

“President Tinubu came with 4 solid policies that will help us and take us out of this problem that we are in. First, there is the unification of foreign exchange, the FX. Before now, there was a subsidy on dollars. If you travelled out of the country for a holiday or personal business, Nigeria would have to pay a subsidy. It doesn’t make sense. Today, that subsidy is gone.

“The second one is a subsidy on PMS and other related petroleum products. He removed the subsidy, and many of us did not understand. Nigeria was borrowing money to pay the subsidy, subsidizing. He ended the subsidy, and we no longer borrow to pay for it, which only a few Nigerians benefited from.

“See Tax Reforms. See Student loans. Every developed country provides students with loans to help them get educated. If you have an uneducated society, that society cannot grow. Japan, China, and the USA have solid education and foundations, which is why they are well-developed. For every solid foundation, there must be an initial pain. That pain is what will make it solid”, Jibrin added.

In their separate remarks, the Deputy Director (Organising) at the APC national secretariat, Prof. Isah Daniel and the National Legal Adviser of the Group, Barr. Isah Iliyasu paid glowing eulogies to the efforts of Dr Jibrin, who delivered Tinubu in Kogi state during the 2023 elections.

The duo expressed great confidence in the new patron’s capacity to lead the youths of North Central to deliver more votes for Tinubu in 2027.