Yari opens APC 2027 campaign in Kaduna, says 2m farmers back Tinubu
- APC campaign chief Yari launched the party's 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna on Saturday.
- He said about two million farmers have pledged to vote for President Tinubu.
- Yari accused the opposition of using AI-generated lies and defended the government's economic record.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has flagged off its 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna, with the Director-General of President Bola Tinubu's re-election campaign, Senator Yari, saying about two million farmers have promised to vote for the President.
Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, spoke on Saturday at the event in Kaduna, which the party chose as what he called the political centre of Northern Nigeria. He said the farmers made the pledge after engagements with the APC leadership and campaign team on the administration's agricultural interventions and plans.
He pushed back at claims that the government is insensitive to farmers' problems. "They claim that your administration does not support farmers and that you hate farmers. That is not true," Yari said, adding that the farmers "understand the truth."
Attack on opposition over AI
Yari also accused opposition parties of spreading falsehoods about the President using artificial intelligence (AI), and said elections cannot be won through lies and propaganda. He said the APC would respond by presenting what he described as the President's achievements and by engaging voters directly.
"They will not win the election by deceiving Nigerians," he said, referring to the opposition.
On the economy, Yari said the administration had improved key indicators despite inheriting difficult conditions. He said the exchange rate had strengthened from nearly ₦1,800 to about ₦1,300 to the dollar, and that foreign reserves had risen from about $3.9 billion to roughly $54.7 billion.
He acknowledged that Nigerians were still facing economic hardship.
Yari said Kaduna was picked deliberately for the flag-off, and thanked APC governors, especially the host, Governor Uba Sani, for organising the event. He said the party had stepped up talks with traditional rulers, community elders and imams across the North to mobilise support and encourage peaceful participation.
"Northern Nigeria is fully committed to your re-election," he said.
What happens next
The flag-off signals the start of the APC's national campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the party promising continued grassroots mobilisation through its governors and party structures. For ordinary Nigerians, the campaign will be judged on the issues Yari raised: food and farm support, the naira's value and the cost of living.
