General Theophilus Danjuma leads Northern political leaders to meet Tinubu as Yakubu Dogara pledges mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections
2027 Elections: Danjuma, Dogara Lead Northern Leaders To Tinubu
By Newsheadline247
Former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), has led a delegation of political leaders from the North-East and North-Central regions to meet President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, as consultations begin to mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The delegation, which included governors, serving ministers and former political officeholders, expressed solidarity with Tinubu’s administration, citing what they described as improvements in security and development across their communities.
The meeting, held on Thursday, also focused on political cooperation, security challenges and strategies to strengthen support for the President across the two geopolitical zones.
Among those who accompanied Danjuma were Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang; Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.); and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentanwe Yilwatda.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Dogara said the delegation visited the President to demonstrate solidarity with his administration and discuss ways of mobilising political support for him ahead of the next general elections.
He said the meeting provided an opportunity for leaders from the regions to discuss issues affecting their communities and explore ways to strengthen their political engagement.
“We’re all here to show solidarity to Mr President and then, in the spirit of the season, which you know is all about politicking, to discuss matters that affect our community and how we can best help in mobilising support for the President, who has done so much for our community.
“That is basically the reason why we’re here,” the former Speaker explained.
Dogara also expressed satisfaction with what he described as significant improvements in the security situation in parts of the country previously troubled by insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.
Although he acknowledged that security challenges persisted in some areas, he maintained that government interventions had reduced the frequency and severity of attacks in several communities.
He cited the Abuja-Kaduna corridor as an example, recalling the period when travellers faced persistent attacks and kidnappings, as well as the attack on a moving train along the route.
“The issues relating to insecurity that accentuated over time, we have noticed that there is a remarkable decline in these issues.
“Of course, there are pockets of crisis in some places, short of declaring victory, but there has been remarkable improvement.
“To travel from here to Kaduna, everybody knows what it was. At one point, they even brought down a moving train, but right now, some of those crises are not there,” he said.
The former Speaker attributed some of the reported improvements to the appointment of individuals familiar with the security challenges confronting affected communities into strategic positions within the administration.
He expressed optimism that sustaining the current interventions would further improve security and create conditions for lasting peace across the affected regions.
“We believe that through some strategic placement of our sons and daughters within the government, they have shown remarkable leadership in dealing with these challenges.
“We believe that if these efforts are sustained going forward, we will arrive at a place where most of us will be very, very comfortable,” Dogara added.
Also speaking after the meeting, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang highlighted efforts by political and community leaders to rebuild trust and promote reconciliation among communities previously divided by ethnic and religious tensions.
He said leaders in the state were working together to restore confidence, improve understanding and encourage peaceful coexistence, adding that their cooperation was beginning to influence grassroots engagement.
“We are making tremendous progress, trying to make sure that leaders come together at various levels to rebuild the broken walls of trust, to rebuild understanding.
“Once people begin to see that kind of cohesion among leaders, it inspires them. It cascades down, and so this is what we are doing at the moment,” the governor said.
Mutfwang explained that political leaders on the Plateau were deliberately demonstrating unity through regular consultations and coordinated appeals for peace.
According to him, the approach has encouraged young people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds to initiate conversations and take greater responsibility for promoting peaceful coexistence.
“I believe that for us on the Plateau, those of us who are in the front lines of leadership are trying to demonstrate that by being seen together, by saying the same things, urging people to unite, to come together.
“People are taking responsibility, even among the youths. We are seeing a new vista in that direction, where youth leaders across the divides of faith and ethnicity are beginning to have conversations without even government support,” he stated.
The governor described the development as encouraging for the state’s peacebuilding efforts, expressing hope that sustained dialogue, cooperation and responsible leadership would help address longstanding divisions.
“This is quite encouraging to me that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and by the grace of God, we will continue to sustain these initiatives.
“Hopefully, a lot of the things that have happened in the past will become stories of the past, and we will be able to build a better, stable and prosperous future,” Mutfwang said.
