By Kazeem Waris
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Leke Abejide, has set a target of two million votes from Yoruba and other non-indigenous communities in Kano State for President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Abejide, who represents Yagba West, Yagba East and Mopamuro Federal Constituency of Kogi State, made the appeal on Saturday at the 2026/2027 Kano State Empowerment Programme organised by the Leke Abejide Foundation.
The lawmaker, who is also the Asiwaju of Yoruba people in Kano, urged the communities to see the forthcoming elections as a collective responsibility rather than a mere political party affair.
“I am not just here to spend my hard-earned resources but I am soliciting for your support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Do not treat the election as a party affair but as a collective responsibility,” he told the gathering.
Former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who attended the event, said the voting strength of non-indigenous communities in Kano was underutilised during the 2023 presidential election.
Bello said the communities delivered nearly 500,000 votes for Tinubu in the last presidential election, describing the performance as inadequate and challenging them to do better in 2027.
“Your voting population in Kano delivered nearly 500,000 votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last presidential election. That performance was not satisfactory, and we must do better this time,” Bello said.
He expressed confidence in Abejide’s ability to mobilise more support for the President, insisting that the target should extend beyond the presidential election to all APC candidates.
“I am convinced that the votes he mobilises for Mr President should not be less than two million, if not more. And this should not be limited to the presidential election. We must also work for all APC candidates, from the President to the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly,” he added.
Bello also appealed to Nigerians, particularly those in the North, to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, arguing that the President should be allowed to complete two terms in office in the interest of political stability.
“After eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the North, President Tinubu has not even completed his first four-year term. Must he not complete his eight years before power returns to the North?” he asked.
Defending the administration’s performance, the former governor cited progress on the Kano-Abuja Federal Highway as evidence of its commitment to infrastructure development in the North.
He disclosed that he had sent someone to inspect the project and was satisfied with the level of work reportedly achieved.
At the event, the Leke Abejide Foundation unveiled financial and material support worth hundreds of millions of naira for women, widows and other beneficiaries drawn from Yoruba, Ebira and Igala communities resident in Kano.
Abejide said the beneficiaries included Yoruba communities originating from Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi states, as well as Ebira and Igala people from Kogi State.
The lawmaker explained that he extended the foundation’s empowerment programme to Kano because of his longstanding relationship with the state, where he had lived and conducted business for about 34 years.
He disclosed that N500 million had been earmarked for interest-free loans to women organised into cooperative societies, including widows and other businesswomen.
Food items, clothing and direct financial assistance were also distributed to widows, while Abejide assured beneficiaries that the intervention would continue beyond the 2027 general elections.
“The era of our women going to borrow from financial institutions with interest they cannot pay is over for good. As long as you are a serious businesswoman resident here in Kano, your season of dryness is over by the grace of God,” he said.
He explained that the intervention was designed to create sustainable economic opportunities through business support rather than temporary handouts.
To ensure accountability, Abejide said the foundation had established a monitoring mechanism to track the loans, warning that beneficiaries who failed to repay would not qualify for subsequent rounds.
He also announced plans for a separate empowerment programme targeting youths and male entrepreneurs, particularly unemployed young people.
Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, assured non-indigenous communities of their rights, security and opportunities to participate in governance.
Yusuf said his administration had made appointments to accommodate different ethnic groups, including special advisers representing Yoruba, Igbo and northern minority communities.
He added that the government would consider similar representation for the Igala and other communities in the state.
The governor commended Abejide for extending his foundation’s interventions beyond his federal constituency, describing the initiative as an example of philanthropy that transcends geographical boundaries.
He urged beneficiaries to utilise the support judiciously to expand their businesses and improve their household welfare.
“Kano is your home. You must take Kano as your first home. Our doors will always remain open, and our administration will continue to protect your rights, guarantee your peace and ensure that you fully participate in the economic and political progress of our state,” Yusuf said.
