The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum has expressed confidence in the ability of former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, to deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 election.

The forum, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, congratulated Yari on his appointment as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

It also congratulated two other North-Central members appointed to the council, James Faleke and Okpokwu Ogenyi.

Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, was appointed Deputy Director-General, Election Planning, Coordination and Monitoring, while Ogenyi was named North-Central Coordinator.

The forum, comprising APC stakeholders from the North-Central states, said Tinubu made the right choice by appointing Yari to lead his re-election campaign.

It said the appointment had consolidated the President’s support base in the North and received the backing of APC members and supporters across the country.

“Senator Yari is a politician that is widely accepted across the northern states – North-East, North-West and North-Central. He is a respected leader who is regarded as a rallying point for progressives in the North and other parts of the country. He is someone that is respected and embraced by the Emirs and other political leaders, as well as religious leaders, the youths and women.

“Going by his track record, there is no doubt that he has what it takes to deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027,” the forum said.

The forum added that the President could not have made a better choice from “the pool of highly qualified eminent personalities” in the party.

The forum said Yari’s appointment did not come as a surprise “as he had been investing his time and resources” in mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.

Yari is the founder and leader of the Renewed Hope Network, a grassroots political mobilisation group focused on showcasing the achievements of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The senator, who represents Zamfara West, was elected governor of Zamfara State in 2011 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. He was re-elected in 2015 on the platform of the APC.

Yari was a founding member of the APC following the formation of the party through the merger of the ANPP and other opposition parties.

A former member of the House of Representatives, where he represented Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2011, Yari succeeded former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on May 18, 2015.

The North-Central APC Forum also highlighted Yari’s experience in party administration, noting that he served as National Financial Secretary of the ANPP and chairman of the party in Zamfara State.

The forum urged APC stakeholders to give the Presidential Campaign Council the necessary support to secure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

“We restate our commitment to Mr President’s election for a second term in office and in the same vein pledge our full and total support to the Presidential Campaign Council led by Senator Abdulaziz Yari. We will work with the council, especially the North-Central Coordinator Okpokwu Ogenyi, to actualize our promise to deliver six million votes for Mr President in the North-Central in the 2027 election,” the forum added.

The North-Central APC stakeholders also said Faleke and Ogenyi had the experience required for their respective roles in the Presidential Campaign Council.

Faleke, who represents Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, served as Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council for the Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima 2023 presidential campaign.

As leader of the Tinubu Support Group, Faleke led a delegation of loyalists and close associates in April 2022 to purchase the N100 million APC presidential nomination and expression of interest forms on behalf of Tinubu.

He also served as Tinubu’s official agent during the APC presidential primaries for the 2023 election.

Ogenyi previously worked with Yari as leader of the Technical Committee of the Renewed Hope Network, TRN, before his appointment as North-Central Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.

The forum said it was ready to work with Ogenyi to mobilise votes for Tinubu across the North-Central states, expressing confidence that his appointment would help the group achieve its pledge of six million votes for the President in the region.

The APC unveiled its Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday, with President Bola Tinubu as chairman, Vice President Kashim Shettima as Vice Chairman I and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as Vice Chairman II. Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari was named Director-General, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was appointed secretary.