KADUNA — President Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is due to begin the northern leg of his 2027 campaign on Saturday at the Kaduna Township Stadium, with all seven North-West governors expected to attend.

Campaigning for the presidential and National Assembly elections opened on 19 August and runs until 15 January 2027, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The choice of Kaduna has drawn debate. Critics point to insecurity in the state, the detention of former governor Nasir El-Rufai and anti-government chants heard at some northern gatherings. Tinubu lost Kaduna to Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 election. Supporters say the city remains the political centre of the North. The APC's publicity secretary in the state, Mohammed Sani Haruna, cited its history as the former capital of the Northern Region and Governor Uba Sani's ties to the President.

Former Defence Minister Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, who leads the Arewa for Asiwaju group, said it planned to bring more than 10,000 supporters from the 19 northern states and the FCT. The Kaduna police spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, said several security agencies had been deployed and some roads would be closed.