Mutfwang, Yilwatda rally Plateau behind Tinubu’s reelection bid

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and Nentawe Yilwatda, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday, rallied support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, urging residents to back him in the 2027 presidential election.

The two politicians spoke in Jos at the inauguration of the Plateau State chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door movement, a grassroots political group financing and mobilising support for Mr Tinubu’s second term.

Mr Mutfwang expressed confidence in the president’s leadership, saying he decided to align with the administration after meeting Mr Tinubu on 6 June 2023.

“When I met with the president on June 6, 2023, I made up my mind that this was the president to travel with,” the governor said.

He acknowledged the economic and security challenges facing the country but maintained that Nigeria was moving in the right direction under the president’s reform agenda.

“Though there are national challenges which we will not deny, we are certainly on the road to making things right,” he said.

Mr Mutfwang urged members of the movement to take the administration’s message to communities across Plateau State, arguing that the mobilisation should unite people across ethnic and regional divides.

“Plateau people are in love with President Tinubu, and we have every reason to show that love,” he said.

The governor said the focus should be on securing a strong electoral mandate for Mr Tinubu in 2027, adding that the state should aim to deliver a substantial number of votes for the president.

Mr Yilwatda called on voters to support the party in all elective positions, arguing that aligning the federal and state governments could improve coordination and development.

He urged residents to vote for Mr Tinubu and APC candidates for the National Assembly, governorship and Plateau State House of Assembly.

“If you elect our presidential candidate, every other candidate follows. If you elect the governor, all members of the House of Assembly must follow,” Mr Yilwatda said.

He called on the party to target victory in all 24 constituencies of the Plateau State House of Assembly, advocating a straight-ticket vote for the APC.

The appeal comes as political parties and support groups begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general election.

Infrastructure, security

The two politicians highlighted infrastructure and security as areas where federal government intervention could benefit Plateau State.

Mr Mutfwang said technical teams from the Federal Ministry of Works were assessing major road corridors, including the Makurdi-Jos-Saminaka road, which he said was built in 1971 and was slated for dualisation.

He said improved road infrastructure would ease the movement of people and goods and strengthen economic activities across the region.

Mr Yilwatda commended the federal government’s reported commitment to major road projects, including the proposed dualisation of the Jos-Akwanga road.

He also said the administration’s security strategy included additional military battalions and the deployment of forest guards recruited from local communities across Plateau’s three senatorial zones.

According to him, the forest guards would use their knowledge of the local terrain and communities to help security agencies protect residents.

The claims about the road projects and security deployments were made by the politicians at the event.

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Tin mining legacy

Mr Yilwatda called for federal intervention to address environmental damage caused by decades of tin mining on the Jos Plateau.

He compared Plateau’s environmental challenges with those of oil-producing communities in the South-South, arguing that both regions had suffered long-term damage from resource extraction.

He said abandoned mining pits, soil erosion and other environmental hazards had affected communities across Plateau, requiring sustained rehabilitation efforts.

“Just as oil exploitation affected their environment, unregulated tin mining severely damaged our land, caused soil erosion, and left hazardous pits across our communities,” he said.

Mr Yilwatda said Plateau and other Middle Belt communities needed sustained attention to their security, infrastructure and environmental challenges.

He commended the leadership and volunteers of the PBAT Door-to-Door movement, urging them to intensify grassroots mobilisation and take the campaign message to households across the state.

The inauguration brought together APC leaders, political figures and supporters to launch the movement’s mobilisation activities in Plateau State.