Politics
2027: Presidency lists on-going projects in N’West, dismisses marginalisation claims
The rebuttal was made on Monday at a pre-tour media briefing in Abuja, convened by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors ahead of a nationwide project showcase tour that will begin in Kaduna and other North West states.
The presidency listed projects ongoing in the region, including a $2 billion standard-gauge rail project linking Kano to Maradi in the Niger Republic, which, it said, is now 60 per cent complete.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Special Duties, Tunde Rahman, who also serves as the RHA’s Director of Media and Publicity, said the visit was designed specifically to counter the perception that the President had not kept faith with the region.
Rahman said, “A lot of people are saying that the President has not kept his promise with the North. This is not correct.
“You will see for yourselves the projects put in place by Mr President. He started in the North in the area of works, road networks, health facilities that have been built and transportation, like the rail system from Kano down to Maradi.”
Rahman noted that the tour was being mounted under the auspices of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, which he described as the principal vehicle for the President’s re-election campaign.
He explained, “We are not reinventing the wheel. We are putting together all the achievements of Mr President and presenting them to the whole of Nigeria so that Nigerians can see that a lot has been done in the last three years.”
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who spoke earlier at the briefing, said the tour was conceived as a direct response to an information gap that had allowed scepticism about the administration’s performance to flourish.
He said, “If we don’t blow our trumpet, no one will blow it for us.
“We are carrying the media along so they can see for themselves the many projects being done across the country, projects that have a direct impact on our people.
“Someone posted about a completed road on social media and said, ‘I didn’t know such a project existed.’ That is why we are doing this.”
The briefing also featured a technical presentation on the state of the railway sector by the Director of Rail Transport Service at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr Finbarr Zirra.
The official said the North West was emerging as the geographic centrepiece of a broader national rail integration programme under Tinubu.
Zirra traced the origins of Nigeria’s railway crisis to the colonial era, noting that the network built by the British was never designed for internal development.
“The plan at that time did not intend to integrate us or make our resources available for national development,” he said, adding, “Towards the 1970s, the railway sector degenerated to a point where government investment declined and was essentially replaced by road infrastructure.”
He said a 25-year Railway Master Plan, adopted in 2002, set out to rehabilitate, modernise and position the sector for long-term sustainability, adding that within the last three to four years, the current administration had achieved substantial progress along those lines.
“The part to Kano has been completed,” he confirmed, adding that the link from Kaduna to Abuja was expected to be operational by the end of the year.
The Kano-Katsina-Maradi extension, approximately 400 kilometres of new standard gauge rail stretching from Kano through Katsina to Jibia before crossing 40 kilometres into the Niger Republic, is the single largest ongoing rail investment in the North West.
Zirra revealed that the completion was at 60 per cent, with the earthworks, the most labour-intensive phase, substantially underway.
He said once the earthworks were accomplished, mechanised laying would accelerate progress significantly.
A branch line from Kano to Dutse, covering approximately 100 kilometres, is also under construction as part of the same package, he said.
“The total length of this package is about 400 kilometres, and work is progressing. By the end of the year, Kano to Katsina is expected to be completed,” Zirra said.
He noted the strategic importance of Kano to the entire rail programme, adding that upon completion, the city will serve as a multi-modal hub where four separate rail lines converge.
They include the Lagos-Kano main line, the Kano-Maradi international line, the Kano-Katsina branch and the Kano-Dutse line.
He said Kano station, when finished, would be the largest in the country by design and function.
He explained, “One movement of a fully loaded train will take approximately 30 trucks off the road.
“If we are able to do that consistently, the impact on road maintenance, logistics costs and the cost of goods will be enormous.
“The multiplier effect of a functional rail corridor is felt in every other sector.”
He said a high-speed rail programme, privately funded at an estimated N200bn, is also in the proposal pipeline and will cover Lagos-Kano, and a separate Lagos-Port Harcourt route.
Monday’s briefing comes days after the Renewed Hope Ambassadors unveiled its website and digital repository containing key milestones of the Tinubu administration.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the RHA, promised that the website would serve as a verified information hub to deepen public understanding of the administration’s reform programme and actively counter the spread of misinformation.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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