A newly formed political support group, Bichi’s Ward Wide Ambassadors for Tinubu 2027, launched in Abuja on Monday, 28 September 2026, setting itself the ambitious target of delivering 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid at the 2027 general elections. The group held its inaugural event at Ibeto Hotel in the capital, where it also conferred the title of Grand Patron on Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, a Kano State lawmaker who represents Bichi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairs the powerful House Committee on Appropriations.
Convener Edward Abakpa told attendees that the Tinubu administration’s economic direction was the primary motivation behind the group’s formation. He described the removal of the petrol subsidy and the restructuring of the foreign exchange market as painful but unavoidable steps towards repositioning Nigeria’s economy for long-term stability.
“Our target is to mobilise 10 million votes for President Tinubu in 2027 because we believe the reforms he has started must be consolidated,” Abakpa said.
Beyond the macro-economic arguments, Abakpa pointed to infrastructure as further justification for the group’s backing. He referenced the government’s claim, made in May 2026, that more than 2,700 kilometres of highways were under construction or rehabilitation — a figure that encompasses the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, and the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road. Whether those projects are completed on schedule will matter far more to voters than the announcements themselves.
The convener also cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), noting that the Presidency had reported disbursements of over N282 billion to more than 1.5 million beneficiaries as of May 2026. He argued that the student loan scheme, if sustained, could meaningfully reduce the financial burden on young Nigerians in higher education. On electricity, he pointed to the Presidential Metering Initiative, through which the administration claims to have supplied 2.5 million metres during its first three years in office.
The group’s political strategy is deliberately grassroots in design. Abakpa confirmed plans to deploy a ward-based structure that would take campaigners beyond Abuja and the major urban centres, directly into communities and polling units across the country.
“We are not limiting this mobilisation to Abuja or the major cities. We want to take the message to the wards, communities and polling units and engage Nigerians directly,” he said.
Members are also expected to channel citizens’ concerns back to relevant government authorities during the campaign period, and the group intends to coordinate with other pro-Tinubu organisations ahead of the vote. Bichi’s appointment as Grand Patron was attributed to his legislative standing and grassroots networks in Kano State, a region the group identifies as critical to its vote-mobilisation effort. Abakpa closed by urging members to conduct their activities peacefully and to ground their messaging in the administration’s policy record rather than raw partisan loyalty.
Separately, the Qadiriyya Sufi sect in Africa, led by Sheikh Qaribullah, received the APC Presidential Campaign Council team on Sunday and announced its backing for Tinubu’s re-election. The sect leader linked the endorsement in part to the appointment of Senator Abdul’aziz Yari as Director-General of the campaign council, and said the movement would begin prayers for the President covering key national concerns.