2027: Tompolo-backed group deploys campaign vehicles across Katsina for Tinubu

Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda on Saturday pledged support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election as a political group backed by Niger Delta businessman, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, launched its northern mobilisation in Katsina.

The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement inaugurated its Katsina structure at People’s Square in the state capital and presented campaign vehicles to coordinators across the state’s 34 local government areas.

Katsina is an important target for Mr Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

Although the state is governed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and is the home state of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Tinubu lost it to Atiku Abubakar, then of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Atiku polled 489,045 votes against Mr Tinubu’s 482,283, a difference of 6,762 votes. Mr Tinubu, however, won 21 of the state’s 34 local government areas.

Speaking at Saturday’s event, Mr Radda described Katsina as an APC stronghold and assured the president that the state would support his bid for a second term.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I want you to be rest assured that Katsina State is your state and will not let you down,” the governor said.

“We will support you, our people will support you, Insha Allah, so that you can continue with the good work you have started for the good people of Nigeria.”

Mr Radda said the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration had increased resources available to state governments and strengthened the financial position of local governments.

He said the additional resources could improve roads, education, healthcare, water supply, sanitation and markets.

The governor also said Katsina was firmly under APC control.

“Katsina State is an APC state. Every elected person in Katsina State is a member of the All Progressives Congress,” he said.

However, that claim does not reflect the current political affiliation of at least one federal lawmaker from the state.

Shehu Tafoki, who represents Kankara/Faskari/Sabuwa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, defected from the APC to the PDP in May after losing the ruling party’s ticket for the 2027 election.

His defection was later announced during plenary in the House of Representatives.

Tompolo-backed movement

The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement was founded and sponsored by Mr Ekpemupolo to canvass support for Mr Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The group inaugurated its national executives in Abuja in July at an event attended by senior APC figures, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

At the Katsina event, Kestin Pondi, who represented Mr Ekpemupolo, urged members of the group to take their campaign to wards, communities, markets and households.

He said the relationship between Mr Tinubu and Katsina was built on trust and political cooperation.

The Katsina APC chairman, Bishir Saulawa, asked the group to work with the party’s local government structures.

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A former deputy governor of the state and coordinator of the Renewed Hope initiative in Katsina, Tukur Ahmed Jikamshi, said the APC remained united across the state’s 361 wards and 34 local government areas.

The state coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Faisal Kaita, said coordinators had been appointed in all 34 local government areas.

Campaign vehicles were presented to the coordinators during the event.

Mr Ekpemupolo is also associated with Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private company engaged by the federal government for oil pipeline surveillance in the Niger Delta.

PREMIUM TIMES has asked the Katsina State Government to clarify how many vehicles were deployed in Katsina, who paid for them, and their cost.

Responses had not been received at the time of filing this report.