From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, has assured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the state government’s commitment to mobilising support for his re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
Governor Radda gave the assurance on Saturday during the inauguration of the Katsina State structure of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement at People’s Square, Katsina.
The Governor thanked the founder and convener of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, for selecting Katsina as the first state in northern Nigeria to launch the initiative.
Radda said Katsina remained a strong base of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that all elected political office holders in the state belong to the party and that the APC maintains a united structure across the 34 local government areas.
“Katsina State is an APC state. Every elected person in Katsina State is a member of the All Progressives Congress, and I want to assure you that Katsina State has a special attachment to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Governor Radda said.
He traced the political relationship between President Tinubu and Katsina to historical ties with northern leaders.
The Governor recalled Tinubu’s role in the political process that led to the emergence of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who hailed from Daura, as president in 2015.
Governor Radda also referenced the longstanding relationship between President Tinubu and the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, as well as the ties that continued with the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, noting that such relationships had contributed to national unity and political cooperation.
Linking the choice of Katsina for the launch to the state’s political history, Radda cited the intervention of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the Niger Delta through the Presidential Amnesty Programme as an example of collaboration between the North and the Niger Delta that promoted peace.
The Governor also commended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, noting that they had provided states with increased resources and created room for greater financial autonomy for local governments.
He said the reforms could further improve service delivery at the grassroots in areas such as roads, education, healthcare, water supply, sanitation, and markets.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came with a lot of reforms which have enabled state governors to do a lot of good work for the people of our states. We should remain ever grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.
Earlier, the founder of the movement, who was represented by High Chief Kestin Ebimorbowei Pondi, said the relationship between President Tinubu and Katsina State was built on trust, confidence, and inclusion.
High Chief Ekpemupolo urged members of the movement to take the message of the administration to the grassroots through door-to-door engagements in wards, communities, markets, and households ahead of the 2027 elections.
In his speech, the Katsina State APC Chairman, Hon. Dr. Bishir Gambo Saulawa, described the party in the state as a united family prepared for the 2027 elections.
He called on the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement to work closely with APC local government chairmen and existing party structures to strengthen coordination.
The Coordinator of Renewed Hope in Katsina State and former Deputy Governor, Hon. Tukur Ahmed Jikamshi, said Katsina had historically played a significant role in Nigeria’s political development.
He noted that the APC in Katsina remained united across the state’s 361 wards and 34 local government areas and had no faction.
The Katsina State Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Dr. Faisal Umar Kaita, said the 34 LGA coordinators inaugurated at the event were committed to taking the message of renewed hope to every town, village, and household in the state.
During the inauguration, campaign vehicles were presented to coordinators of the movement across the 34 local government areas of the state.