The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, on Thursday declared that Kaduna State was fully prepared to host the official flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, 2026.
He said thousands of party leaders, delegates and supporters were expected to gather in Kaduna to launch the party’s campaign ahead of the forthcoming general election.
This was as the Co-Chairman of the Directorate of Women Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Dr. Betta Edu, has said President Bola Tinubu’s second term would usher in an era of prosperity for Nigerians.
Also, in an interesting turn of events, one of the sons of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Olujonwo Obasanjo, has joined a political advocacy platform, Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation (TMS), known as Tinubu Must Stay.
The group is promoting policy continuity, sustainable governance and public understanding of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In the same stroke, the Forum of Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government Parastatals (FORCEPA), on Thursday hinted that it has mobilised over 100,000 supporters to storm the Kaduna venue of the APC presidential campaign kick-off, reaffirming its support for the reelection of President Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s on January 16, 2027.
However, in a statement, the defence minister said, “Preparations across the state capital have reached an advanced stage, with local organising committees, security agencies and party executives working in synchronisation to ensure a smooth and successful event.”
As part of the final site assessments, the minister conducted a comprehensive inspection of Ranchers Bees Stadium, venue for the campaign rally.
The visit focused on assessing security protocols, crowd management plans and venue infrastructure to ensure the safety of all attendees and dignitaries, as well as their smooth movement throughout the event.
Speaking during the inspection, Musa, who also serves as Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Committee on Intelligence, assured the president and the public that Kaduna State was fully prepared and secure to welcome the president, party leaders and supporters from across the country.
Edu: Tinubu’s Second Term Will Usher in Era of Prosperity
The Co-Chair of the Directorate of Women Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Betta Edu, has said President Bola Tinubu’s second term would usher in an era of prosperity for Nigerians.
Edu spoke in Kaduna when she led a delegation of the PCC Women Mobilisation Directorate on a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, who is the chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the APC presidential campaign flag-off.
Expressing optimism about Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, Edu said the country had moved beyond the difficult phase of the administration’s economic reforms and was now at the threshold of prosperity.
“We have gone through the reform phase already. Now, it is time for prosperity. We are already at the gate of prosperity once President Tinubu is re-elected,” Edu declared.
The sacked former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation said the Women Mobilisation Directorate was targeting about 40 million votes for Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 presidential election.
She said achieving the target would require sustained grassroots mobilisation, particularly among women, rather than merely assembling large crowds at political rallies.
“Our plan as the PCC mobilisation directorate is to see that we can mobilise at least close to 40 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And we cannot do this without getting down to the grassroots.
“We want to engage with women. We want to find out what their challenges are. We want to find out how best we can get to the grassroots,” she added.
Responding, the Deputy Governor assured the delegation that the Kaduna State Government and the LOC were working assiduously to ensure a successful presidential campaign flag off on Saturday.
Obasanjo’s Son Joins Tinubu Must Stay Movement, Backs Policy Continuity, Others
Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has joined a political advocacy platform, Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation (TMS), known as Tinubu Must Stay.
The group promotes policy continuity, sustainable governance and public understanding of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Olujonwo, who serves as President of the Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO), President of Project One Nigeria, and Senior Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor on Housing, announced his decision at a press conference in Abuja, where TMS leadership officially welcomed him into the organisation.
He said his decision was shaped by his political experience, understanding of Nigeria’s reform history and belief in the importance of sustaining government policies across administrations.
Olujonwo said he had been a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since its formation, arguing that several policies of the Tinubu’s administration have not been adequately explained to Nigerians, creating opportunities for misinformation and misinterpretation.
“I’ve been in the APC since 2014. I was there when my father hosted the late President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to form the movement. I’m not new to the party.
“There’s a lot of noise out there, and people are distorting what’s going on. ASUU has had no strikes. Students have access to loans. Nigeria has become a massive construction site and an investors’ haven again. These are things we need to promote.”
Also, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Coordinator of TMS, Kashifu Abdullahi, welcomed Olujonwo into the movement, describing his background as relevant to TMS’s advocacy for sustained economic reforms.
Federal Agencies CEOs Mobilise Supporters for Tinubu’s Campaign Kick-off
The Forum of Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government Parastatals (FORCEPA) has said it has mobilised over 100,000 supporters to storm the Kaduna venue of the APC presidential campaign kick-off on Saturday, reaffirming its support for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The forum, made up of over 500 chief executives of federal agencies and parastatals, also pledged to mobilise 10 million votes for Tinubu and Shettima, citing the need for policy continuity and consolidation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, its chairman, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, who was joined by other officers of the forum, said members had been deployed to Kaduna to coordinate mobilisation and engage stakeholders ahead of the campaign event.
According to him, “We have decided, as a group comprising over 500 CEOs across the country, to lend our support to the re-election of Mr President.
“In view of this, we have decided to mobilise over 100,000 supporters for the presidential campaign kick-off in Kaduna on Saturday.”
Declaring that the Tinubu administration deserved a second term, he said the forum was established to harness the institutional experience and networks of federal agency chiefs to promote public awareness of government policies and programmes.
FORCEPA defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including petrol subsidy removal, describing them as difficult but necessary measures to strengthen public finances, attract investment and support long-term growth.
It, however, acknowledged the hardship facing households and businesses, saying the success of the reforms would depend on their ability to deliver jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards.
“The next phase of national transformation should consolidate progress, address implementation challenges and translate economic stabilisation into more tangible improvement in the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” Raji said.
Deji Elumoye, Adedayo Akinwale, Linus Aleke in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
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