Tinubu’s Northern support not a blank cheque — Shettima
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has warned that growing support in northern Nigeria for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid is not a “blank cheque”, saying the administration must earn voters’ confidence through…
Vice-President Kashim Shettima's remarks come as President Bola Tinubu's political camp intensifies groundwork for a 2027 re-election bid, with the North seen as a decisive voting bloc given its large population and the region's historical role in determining election outcomes. The North, where Tinubu's APC has had an uneasy relationship since 2023 due to economic hardship from fuel subsidy removal and naira reforms, remains a contested terrain for the ruling party, which is working to shore up alliances ahead of the polls.
Shettima's comments signal an attempt to manage expectations within the APC and reassure northern elites and voters that their backing cannot be taken for granted, tying continued political loyalty to concrete governance outcomes. Both Vanguard and Daily Trust frame his statement similarly, emphasising transparency and accountability as conditions for retaining northern support, though neither report specifies what metrics or timelines the administration intends to use to demonstrate progress, nor how northern political stakeholders have responded to the vice-president's framing.