Badaru says Kaduna rally turnout beat Arewa for Asiwaju's target

A former Jigawa State governor, Badaru Abubakar, says the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) movement drew more people than it planned for at Saturday's flag-off of President Bola Tinubu's 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna.

Badaru, who is the movement's director-general, said the turnout showed the commitment of members and supporters across Northern Nigeria to the President's re-election bid.

"Our mobilisation exceeded the target we set," he said, according to Punch, adding that the result showed the movement's structures in the region could work together towards one goal.

He thanked the movement's national leadership, state coordinators and grassroots mobilisation teams, and the supporters who travelled from different places to attend the rally.

Why it matters

Campaign rallies are a familiar part of Nigerian election seasons, but they are also a test of how well a candidate's support groups can organise on the ground. For ordinary Nigerians, the 2027 race will decide who manages the cost of living, fuel prices, security and jobs.

Badaru, who also served as defence minister, described the Kaduna event as a milestone and said A4A would keep building its presence across the North through community engagement and sustained coordination.

The reports did not give a crowd figure for the rally, and none of the sources quoted an independent estimate of attendance. The claim that the target was surpassed came from Badaru himself.

What happens next

According to Badaru, the movement plans to expand its mobilisation activities across Northern Nigeria as political activity towards the 2027 general elections picks up.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not set the dates for the 2027 polls in these reports, and the sources did not say when the next major campaign event will hold.