Thousands of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) poured into Kaduna’s streets on Friday, a day before the ruling party’s presidential campaign flag-off for the 2027 general election.

The rally is scheduled for Saturday, 24 October, at the Ranchers Bees Stadium and will be the party’s first campaign event of the cycle. President Bola Tinubu and other party leaders are expected to attend.

Security has been stepped up across the city, with more personnel at major junctions and around the stadium, and police have restricted heavy-duty vehicles. Defence Minister Christopher Musa, who is also secretary of the campaign’s intelligence committee, inspected the venue and said Kaduna was fully prepared and secure for the event.

Posters and banners carrying the faces of Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and other party leaders line major roads, and pro-Tinubu support groups held a solidarity march through the city.

The party says it expects a massive turnout. The Forum of CEOs of Federal Government Parastatals says it has mobilised more than 100,000 supporters, and the APC’s North-West publicity secretary, Mailafiya Mada, acknowledged concerns that the stadium may be too small for the crowd.

He said the alternative venue, Ahmadu Bello Stadium, is under renovation, and that state chairmen leading delegations are aware of the constraints.

Some residents are using the moment to press their own demands. A commercial bus driver said the president should use the rally to address the rising cost of living, while another resident said she hoped the event would stay peaceful and not disrupt daily life. Others want solutions to insecurity and unemployment.

The campaign launch comes as the party is still dealing with internal friction in some states, including disputes over the planned “Rainbow Coalition” arrangement for the presidency.