By David Oluwatosin
Vice President Kashim Shettima has appealed to northern-based professionals in Nigeria’s creative industry to support the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, saying the region should back the administration in the interest of fairness, inclusiveness and national unity.
Shettima made the call on Wednesday when he received a delegation of Northern Performing Artists under the auspices of Triple-R For Renewed Hope at the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign office in Abuja.
The Vice President said the North stood to benefit significantly from the Tinubu administration’s creative economy initiatives, stressing that the Federal Government was implementing policies aimed at empowering local talent, preserving cultural heritage and creating economic opportunities through the entertainment industry.
According to him, the President deserved the collective support of the North, particularly as his administration continued to introduce programmes designed to expand opportunities for artists, filmmakers, musicians and other creative professionals across the country.
Shettima assured the delegation that the Federal Government would continue to roll out targeted interventions to strengthen the creative industry in northern Nigeria.
He urged northern creatives to remain committed to the government and the APC, arguing that the benefits of the administration’s reforms would become more visible across different sectors in the coming months and years.
The Vice President also stressed the importance of reciprocal support from stakeholders in the region to facilitate the implementation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, said the Tinubu administration’s bid for re-election would be presented to Nigerians based on its record and achievements.
Yari urged support groups and individuals to assess the administration based on its performance, while asking creative industry professionals to disregard claims by political opponents that the North had been excluded from appointments and development projects.
He maintained that the region had been fairly treated under the current administration and remained an important part of Nigeria’s democratic process.
Also speaking, former Katsina State Governor and Deputy Director-General, Parliamentary Mobilisation, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Aminu Bello Masari, commended the creative professionals for their decision to support APC candidates, including President Tinubu.
Masari said the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration were creating opportunities for the creative sector, urging professionals to take advantage of the emerging opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
Former Kano State Governor and APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, also thanked the group for its support.
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Ganduje called on the northern creatives to promote justice, fairness and inclusiveness, while urging them to support the re-election of Tinubu in 2027.
He described Triple-R For Renewed Hope as one of the APC’s organic support groups and called for greater investment in the entertainment industry, particularly through the provision of infrastructure and training opportunities for emerging artistes in the region.
In his remarks, the President of Triple-R For Renewed Hope, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, pledged the group’s support for the re-election of Tinubu and other APC candidates across the North.
Rarara said northern creatives were united in their resolve to support the President and APC candidates in the 2027 elections, describing the group’s support as organic and based on what he described as the administration’s performance.
He said professionals in the northern film industry had formed a united front behind the APC candidates and called for continued government support for the creative sector.
Similarly, the National Chairman of the group, Lawan Ahmad, and its Secretary, Ahmad Bifa, expressed their readiness to mobilise support for Tinubu and other APC candidates ahead of the elections.
They, however, called on the Federal Government to further support the reorganisation and development of the creative industry in northern Nigeria, particularly through improved infrastructure and measures aimed at improving the welfare of industry professionals.
