North-Central APC group supports Yari for Tinubu's 2027 campaign

The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum believes that former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, can help President Bola Tinubu win in the 2027 election.

The forum shared this view in a statement on Wednesday from its chairman, Saleh Zazzaga. They congratulated Yari for being named Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

They also congratulated two other North-Central members who joined the council, James Faleke and Okpokwu Ogenyi.

Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, will serve as Deputy Director-General for Election Planning, Coordination, and Monitoring. Ogenyi has been appointed as the North-Central Coordinator.

The forum, which includes APC members from North-Central states, said Tinubu made a good choice by selecting Yari to lead his re-election campaign. They believe this appointment has strengthened the President's support in the North and has the backing of APC members nationwide.

"Senator Yari is a politician that is widely accepted across the northern states, North-East, North-West, and North-Central. He is a respected leader who is regarded as a rallying point for progressives in the North and other parts of the country. He is someone that is respected and embraced by the Emirs and other political leaders, as well as religious leaders, the youths and women.

"Going by his track record, there is no doubt that he has what it takes to deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027," the forum stated.

They added that the President could not have made a better choice from "the pool of highly qualified eminent personalities" in the party. The forum noted that Yari's appointment was expected since he had been working hard to gather support for Tinubu's re-election.

Yari is the founder and leader of the Renewed Hope Network, a group focused on promoting the achievements of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He represents Zamfara West in the Senate and was first elected governor of Zamfara State in 2011 with the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. He won a second term in 2015 under the APC.

Yari helped establish the APC after the merger of the ANPP and other opposition parties. He had also served as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2011. On May 18, 2015, he took over as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum from former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi.

The North-Central APC Forum also pointed out Yari’s experience in party administration. He was National Financial Secretary of the ANPP and chairman of the party in Zamfara State.

The forum called on APC members to support the Presidential Campaign Council to ensure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. "We restate our commitment to Mr President’s election for a second term in office and in the same vein pledge our full and total support to the Presidential Campaign Council led by Senator Abdulaziz Yari. We will work with the council, especially the North-Central Coordinator Okpokwu Ogenyi, to actualize our promise to deliver six million votes for Mr President in the North-Central in the 2027 election," they added.

The North-Central APC leaders also mentioned that Faleke and Ogenyi have the necessary experience for their roles in the Presidential Campaign Council. Faleke, who represents Ikeja Federal Constituency, was Secretary for the Presidential Campaign Council for the Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima 2023 campaign.

As the leader of the Tinubu Support Group, Faleke led a team to buy the N100 million APC presidential nomination forms for Tinubu in April 2022. He was also Tinubu’s official agent during the APC presidential primaries in 2023.

Ogenyi worked with Yari as the leader of the Technical Committee of the Renewed Hope Network before becoming the North-Central Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election. The forum expressed readiness to work with Ogenyi to gather votes for Tinubu in the North-Central states, confident that his appointment will help achieve the goal of six million votes for the President in the region.

The APC revealed its Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday, with President Bola Tinubu as chairman, Vice President Kashim Shettima as Vice Chairman I, and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as Vice Chairman II. Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari was named Director-General, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is the secretary.