2027: APC Forum urges North-Central first term governors to sit up

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has urged first term governors elected on the platform of the party in the zone to sit up in order to ensure their return for a second term.

The North-Central APC Forum asserted that improved performance by the governors will translate to victory for the party in the forthcoming election.

The APC Forum made the call on Sunday in a statement released by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, after a second quarter stakeholders consultative meeting in Abuja.

First term governors in the North-Central, who are seeking re-election in the 2027 election, include Ahmed Ododo, Kogi, Hyacinth Alia, Benue, Mohammad Bago, Niger and Caleb Muftwang, Plateau.

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Abdullahi Sule, the governors of Kwara and Nasarawa, respectively, the two other states in the North-Central, are rounding off their second terms in office.

The North-Central APC Forum, while expressing a desire for the APC to retain the control of all the states in the zone after the 2027 elections, said the performance of the first term governors will go a long way in determining their chances of re-election.

It urged the governors to step up in the provision of dividends of democracy as the elections approach.

“We urge the first term governors in the North-Central to sit up in the discharge of their duties as the elections draw closer. Our target as the North-Central APC Forum is that the party will continue to retain control of all the states in the zone.

“As leaders of the party in their respective states, we urge the governors to take the lead towards ensuring that the North-Central remains totally under the control of the APC after the elections. The North-Central was the first geopolitical zone to come under the control of one party, APC, and we as stakeholders are proud of the feat.

“As stakeholders and dedicated party men, we declare our resolve to ensure that the North-Central retains its enviable position as the number one APC zone in the country. To this end, we are calling on the first governors to redouble their efforts in the provision of dividends of democracy to the people. We particularly urge them to pay special attention to security, the economy, agriculture, education, youth and women empowerment, and the general welfare of citizens,” the Forum said.

However, the North-Central APC Forum in the same vein commended the governors of Niger and Plateau states for their achievements in office.

The Forum noted that Bago and Muftwang have recorded notable achievements in various sectors, which it said have improved the living conditions of citizens in the two states. It highlighted improved security, economic advancement especially through investment in modernized agriculture, and empowerment programmes initiated by the governors in their states.

The Forum said Bago and Muftwang have prioritized the welfare of workers and implemented policies which have improved business activities, thereby attracting much needed private investment.

“Following the second quarter 2026 assessment of governance in the North-Central, we believe that the governors of Plateau and Niger states, Mohammed Umaru Bago and Caleb Muftwang, respectively, have recorded commendable achievements in various sectors.

“The Bago administration in Niger State has recorded major infrastructure and industrial projects including the 1,000km statewide road network and flyovers, 500-hectare solar farm and industrial park in Diko/Sabon Wuse, the Minna urban renewal and overhead bridge expansion, and the 500-unit housing estate in Kontagora.

“In Plateau State, the Muftwang administration has executed several landmark infrastructure, as well as agricultural and tourism projects, including the 19.7 km Mangu Bypass, the Plateau Potato Value Chain Project, and the remodeling of hospitality and sports centers like the Hill Station Hotel and Rwang Pam Township Stadium.

“Added to these, the administrations have recorded improvements in security and economic empowerment and several other sectors, which we believe would ensure victory for the APC in the 2027 election. Other first term governors in the zone have also made progress, but we urge all of them to do even more as the elections approach. It is our fervent desire that the North-Central retains its pride of place an the number one APC zone in the country at the end of the 2027 elections,” the Forum added.

The APC Forum expressed confidence that, with the strides recorded by Bago and Muftwang, and the performance of other governors, the pledge to deliver six million votes from the North-Central to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election is on course.

It would be recalled that, in December 2024, the Forum became the first political organization to endorse Tinubu for a second term, pledging six million votes for the President from the North-Central zone.