Student leaders from tertiary institutions across the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in 2027.
They also pledged to mobilise students across the region in support of his candidacy.
The endorsement was announced at the inauguration of the Students’ Wing of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), attended by Students’ Union Government presidents and other student leaders from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Coordinator of the A4A Students’ Wing and SUG President of Bayero University, Kano, Comrade Abdulmudallib Kalli Sheriff, said the decision was informed by the Tinubu administration’s interventions in education, student financing, skills development and youth empowerment.
“We are for Asiwaju. Our support is not passive or ceremonial; it is organised, deliberate and ready for action,” Sheriff said.
He singled out the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a major intervention expanding access to tertiary education, particularly for students from financially disadvantaged families.
“We will take this message to our campuses and communities. We will mobilise, communicate and organise,” he added.
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, said the endorsement reflected the President’s “giant strides” in education, infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture.
He described Tinubu’s investments in education and skills development as particularly significant for the North.
“Through TVET and NELFUND, the President has done a lot for the North. Available programme data indicate that Northern Nigeria accounts for over 60 per cent of beneficiaries under key interventions. That is measurable impact,” Sani said.
The governor said expanding educational opportunities must also go hand in hand with economic and digital inclusion.
“We cannot meaningfully empower young Nigerians politically while leaving them educationally, economically and digitally excluded,” he said.
Sani urged the students to make their mobilisation issue-based and anchored on the administration’s record.
“Do not campaign with insults; campaign with evidence. Do not answer criticism with abuse; answer it with facts,” he said.
Director-General of Arewa for Asiwaju, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, mni, said the case for Tinubu’s re-election should be based on achievements rather than promises.
“We are not here to ask for your support on the strength of promises. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already delivered, and the record speaks for itself,” Badaru said.
He cited NELFUND, TETFund projects and the Energising Education Programme as interventions benefiting students and tertiary institutions across the North.
Badaru, who formally inaugurated the Students’ Wing, charged its members to “carry this record to every campus, every hostel and every student union across the 19 Northern States.”
Accepting the mandate, Sheriff pledged to build a coordinated student mobilisation network across the region ahead of the 2027 elections.
“19 Northern States. The FCT. Thousands of campuses. Millions of young Nigerians. One coordinated movement,” he declared.
“The students of Arewa are ready to stand with President Tinubu. We are ready to mobilise, organise, engage and deliver.”
