***GMT DG, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, says Hausa endorsement is part of wider mobilisation targeting one million votes for Tinubu in Ondo State
The Hausa community in Ondo State has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for a second term, citing what it described as the administration’s achievements in infrastructure, education, agriculture, security and economic development.
The endorsement was made on Thursday in Akure by representatives of the Hausa community from the 18 local government areas of the state at a mobilisation programme organised by the Grassroots Movement for Tinubu (GMT).
The event was sponsored by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the Ondo State leader of Hausa in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Bala Umaru, said the decision was based on confidence in the Tinubu administration and a desire for a peaceful, prosperous and united Nigeria.
Umaru said the administration inherited significant economic and social challenges but had introduced reforms aimed at repositioning the country for sustainable development.
He particularly commended the administration’s road construction projects, noting that improved road infrastructure was essential to the economic activities of northerners who transport agricultural produce to different parts of the country.
“In the history of Nigeria, there is no president that has embarked on massive road construction like the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Good roads play a significant role in the economy of we northerners. They make it easier for us to transport our goods, especially farm produce, to any part of the country,” he said.
Umaru also said the community considered Tinubu’s contribution to the political emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari as one of the reasons for supporting his re-election bid.
“President Tinubu also played a significant role in installing the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. It is just natural for any northerner to support President Tinubu’s second-term bid,” he said.
He called for patience and cooperation from Nigerians, saying the reforms introduced by the administration would require time to yield their full impact.
Umaru also commended Tunji-Ojo for what he described as his leadership and development initiatives, particularly his support for mobilising non-indigenes in the state.
Also speaking, the Director-General of GMT, Hon. Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, said the endorsement was part of a broader mobilisation effort involving ethnic communities across Ondo State.
He said the GMT had previously secured endorsements from the Ebira and Igbo communities, adding that the Hausa community had now joined the campaign for Tinubu’s second term.
“Different ethnic groups in Ondo State have been endorsing President Tinubu. We started with the Ebira community. Last week, the Igbo community did their own. Today, the Hausa people from all the 18 local government areas are here to endorse the second-term bid of the President,” Yusuf-Ogunleye said.
He said the Hausa community had acknowledged what he described as the President’s performance and decided to support him despite the possibility of other presidential aspirants emerging from the northern region.
“That is the spirit of sportsmanship. That is the spirit of oneness,” he said.
Yusuf-Ogunleye added that the Hausa community, which he described as committed and loyal, supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election and had resolved to do so again in 2027.
A member of the GMT Board of Trustees, Hon. Adekola Olawoye, SAN, described the gathering as a significant step in the group’s mobilisation efforts.
He said the organisation was targeting one million votes for President Tinubu from Ondo State.
“We have been mobilising non-indigenes in the state, different ethnic groups to support the President. Our target is one million votes for the President,” Olawoye said.
Those at the event included the GMT Secretary, Hon. Rasheed Badmus; Director of Women Affairs, Chief Olamide Falana; Director of Media, Ojo Oyewamide; Akure South GMT Coordinator, Hon. Gbenga Olaniyi; and a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly representing Akoko North-West Constituency I, Hon. Fatai Atere.
Other attendees included Alhaji Ismaila Muhammed, Alhaji Sanni Bature, Alhaji Bala Muhammed, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, Alfa Nura Abdullahi, Alhaji Muhammed Ingawa, Alhaji Bala Abdullahi, Alhaji Hamisu Muhammed and Hajiya Alima Abdullahi.
