The Arewa For Asiwaju (A4A) Group has unveiled plans to mobilise voters across Nigeria’s 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to significantly increase support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, with a target of tripling the region’s previous voting figures.

The group announced its mobilisation strategy during a courtesy visit to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

Leading the delegation, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, Chairman of the group’s Board of Trustees, said A4A was established to harness the North’s substantial electoral strength and improve voter participation in support of Tinubu’s re-election and the success of the APC.

Shekarau stressed that the initiative was driven by the desire to advance Nigeria’s interests rather than deepen divisions between the North and South.

He said the group had examined previous election results, identified areas of weak performance and pinpointed locations where voter apathy had contributed to low turnout.

According to him, declining participation in elections has remained a national concern since 1999, making grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement essential to improving electoral outcomes.

To achieve its objectives, Shekarau disclosed that A4A had established 20 directorates with clearly defined responsibilities and compiled information on the president’s projects, policies and programmes across northern Nigeria.

He said the group intended to publicise these initiatives to counter perceptions that the Tinubu administration had neglected the region.

The A4A leader added that coordinators had been appointed at the state, local government and ward levels, while a functional secretariat had been established to coordinate its operations.

He announced that the secretariat would be formally inaugurated on Saturday, with Vice President Kashim Shettima expected to attend as the special guest. Shekarau also invited the APC national chairman to the event.

Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the group’s Board of Trustees and former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, described A4A as a reserve force bringing experienced political leaders together to strengthen the party’s electoral prospects.

Drawing an analogy with the military, Lalong said the group comprised experienced politicians ready to support the APC wherever additional effort was needed.

He emphasised the North’s importance in national electoral contests, arguing that the region’s voting strength would be critical to the party’s ambition of securing victory in 2027.

Lalong noted that the group included former governors, former Senate presidents, former speakers of legislative houses, serving ministers and senators.

In his response, Yilwatda commended A4A for bringing together influential political figures from across the region and maintaining what he described as a balanced representation of religious, state and regional interests.

He said the composition of the group would help strengthen the North’s political voice and expand support for Tinubu ahead of the next general election.

The APC chairman also rejected claims that the president had failed to deliver development to northern Nigeria, citing major road projects as evidence of the administration’s interventions in the region.

Yilwatda assured the delegation that the party would collaborate with A4A and incorporate its mobilisation structures into the APC’s broader electoral planning.

He said the party’s objective extended beyond winning the presidential election to securing victories in National Assembly, governorship and state House of Assembly contests.

The chairman reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to working with the group to maximise voter support across northern Nigeria in the 2027 elections.