From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
A coalition of Islamic sect associations in Katsina State, comprising members of the Darika and Izala groups and the Council of Ulama, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in 2027.
The groups, said to comprise 1,121 joint associations, declared their support for Tinubu at a meeting held in Katsina on Sunday.
The meeting was presided over by the President’s Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Kabir Masari, and the Minister of Housing, Dr Muntaka Rabe Darma.
The gathering brought together hundreds of followers of the Islamic groups, who expressed their solidarity with the president ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the event, Professor Abdulaziz Mashi said it would amount to a betrayal if people in the North failed to support Tinubu for a second term.
He said Tinubu had supported the North in 2015, contributing to the emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, as Nigeria’s president.
Mashi also highlighted the longstanding business and political relationships between the Yoruba and Hausa communities, saying their bonds of friendship remained strong.
Defending Tinubu’s removal of the petrol subsidy, the professor argued that the policy was introduced in the national interest and to curb corruption in the petroleum sector.
According to him, the measure has increased the funds available for salary payments, reduced reliance on borrowing by state governments and supported the execution of projects across the country.
Mashi further said the Tinubu administration had demonstrated continuity by completing projects inherited from previous administrations in Katsina and other states.
He cited railway and federal road projects, as well as the completion and award of power projects in three local government areas of Katsina State, as examples of the administration’s interventions.
In his remarks, an Islamic scholar from the Darika sect, Hadi Balarabe, said followers of the Islamic groups in Katsina had agreed to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the interest of continuity and national progress.
Balarabe urged leaders of the Darika and Izala groups, as well as other Islamic scholars, to communicate the meeting’s resolutions to their followers.
“We appeal to you to educate your followers on the need to elect the APC for continuity and the progress of the nation,” he said.
The Minister of Housing, Dr Muntaka Rabe Darma, said the meeting was convened to seek the support of Islamic leaders for the APC’s victory in the forthcoming general election.
“You are very important in our society. People listen to you and respect you. Please assist us in securing victory for the APC in the forthcoming general election,” he said.
Similarly, Ibrahim Kabir Masari appealed to the people of Katsina State to vote for Tinubu, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda and other APC candidates in 2027.
Masari expressed confidence that, if re-elected, Tinubu would not betray the interests of the North or the Muslim community.
Other speakers at the event included Sheikh Abdullahi Pakistan, Sheikh Aminu Abu Amar and Sani Aliyu Danlami, a member of the House of Representatives representing Katsina Local Government Area, among others.
