President Bola Tinubu took his 2027 re-election campaign to Jos- Plateau State on Saturday, promising expanded security measures and federal investment as he sought to consolidate support in a politically consequential North-Central state.
The President’s appeal came at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Jos, where party leaders described the administration’s record as grounds for a renewed mandate.
Speaking at the 60,000-capacity Zaria Road Stadium, President Tinubu urged Plateau voters to back him and other APC candidates in the January 2027 elections, casting security, unity and development as central to his administration’s case for another term.
He told supporters that Nigeria’s ethnic, religious and cultural diversity should strengthen, not divide – the country.
The event drew Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, APC Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang and other senior party figures, underscoring the rally’s importance to the party’s North-Central strategy.
Tinubu said surveillance cameras pledged for Plateau had arrived in Nigeria and would soon be installed.
He also said 1,000 federally recruited forest guards were in training and would support existing security agencies by monitoring forests and other vulnerable areas once deployed.
Akpabio said the creation of state police remained “in the pipeline,” positioning the proposal as part of a broader effort to improve security and enable displaced residents to return to their communities.
The remarks signaled support for a reform that would shift some policing responsibilities to states, though the senator did not announce an implementation date.
Yilwatda said Plateau had received federal roads, two army battalions, a brigade and four security command centers, presenting the measures as evidence that the president had followed through on commitments to the state.
Governor Mutfwang welcomed Tinubu to Jos and pledged that Plateau would deliver “unprecedented” support in the 2027 vote.
He cited federal assistance on roads, education and healthcare, while acknowledging persistent insecurity and appealing for help resettling people displaced by insurgency.
Mutfwang also highlighted state initiatives aimed at employment, transport and security, including a program intended to place roughly 2,000 young people in remote work with organizations in the US and Europe.
He said new compressed-natural-gas buses would ease transport pressures, and described a technology-enabled command center intended to aid crime detection.
Vice President Shettima credited the administration’s progress to Tinubu’s “transformational and courageous leadership,” while portraying Plateau’s people as central contributors to Nigeria in education, agriculture, the military, trade, culture and sport.
He urged voters to support the president, the governor and other APC candidates.
The APC chairman presented party flags to Nasarawa governorship candidate Aliyu Wadada and Kwara counterpart Yakubu Danladi, instructing them to pursue victory from national offices down to ward-level contests.
Former Plateau governors Joshua Dariye and Simon Lalong, former Deputy Speaker Ahmed Wase and former Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen also voiced support for Tinubu.
Campaign Director-General Abdulaziz Yari argued that improved federal revenue would give governments greater capacity to deliver public services, while Abbas urged residents to measure the current administration against its predecessors.
The rally concluded with party leaders presenting the 2027 contest as a referendum on Tinubu’s security and economic agenda.
