2027: Tinubu Projects Will Secure APC Votes, Says Yilwatda

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says infrastructure projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration will help the party win support in the 2027 general elections.

Yilwatda described the projects as a major campaign advantage, arguing that voters would judge the administration by the infrastructure delivered across the country.

He made the remarks on Saturday during an inspection of the ongoing construction of the Akwanga-Jos-Gombe section of the Trans-Sahara Superhighway.

The Ministry of Works previously described the Akwanga-Jos stretch as a 125-kilometre section of a larger highway project extending through Bauchi, Gombe and Biu to Maiduguri. The project is intended to improve road connectivity, security and economic activities along the route.

Speaking to journalists, Yilwatda said the road was being designed to last for more than 100 years before requiring major maintenance or repairs, describing it as a lasting infrastructure legacy.

He explained that the superhighway forms part of a wider network spanning more than 1,400 kilometres, linking Calabar through Ebonyi, Enugu, Benue and Abuja to Jos and connecting the South-South, South-East, North-Central and North-East regions.

We are targeting a lifespan of over 100 years before there will be a need to consider maintaining or repairing it again. That is how you build a lasting legacy. 

The APC chairman said the construction demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to its Renewed Hope agenda and would strengthen public support for the President.

“The road is part of a larger initiative that spans from Calabar through states such as Ebonyi, Enugu, Benue, and Abuja, eventually reaching Jos. The Trans-Sahara Superhighway aims to connect various regions, covering over 1,400 kilometres and linking the South-South, South-East, North-Central, and North-East geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

“It is living proof of what the Renewed Hope agenda stands for, and it is precisely why Nigerians will continue to stand firmly behind President Tinubu,” he said.

He also described the project as one of the administration’s major infrastructure interventions, noting that hundreds of billions of naira had been committed to its construction.

According to Yilwatda, the Akwanga-Jos corridor will feature round-the-clock intelligent surveillance cameras, street lighting, police outposts and emergency trauma clinics to improve security and access to healthcare.

He added that the road would do more than ease transportation, as its supporting facilities were expected to improve connections between communities, markets and businesses while strengthening safety along the route.

He added, “Beyond just improving transportation, the Akwanga-Jos road project is designed to enhance security and community welfare. The road will feature traffic lights, surveillance cameras, police stations and clinics, all strategically placed along the route to improve safety and healthcare access.

“This is not just a road; this is connecting communities. This is connecting customers, connecting markets, connecting people, improving security.”

Yilwatda said the corridor had received little major infrastructure investment for decades, with previous interventions largely limited to patchwork repairs.

He recalled that the route had experienced only minor repairs since the early 1970s, adding that communities along the Nasarawa-Plateau axis had rarely benefited from federal capital projects worth as much as N10 billion before the current administration committed hundreds of billions of naira to its reconstruction.

“Communities along the Nasarawa-Plateau axis rarely saw federal capital projects running into even N10 billion. Today, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has committed hundreds of billions of naira to build an infrastructure asset designed to endure for over a century.”

During the inspection, the project’s Equipment Coordinator and Public Relations Officer, James Baba, told the APC chairman that heavy construction machinery had been moved to the Jos section following instructions from the Works Ministry.

Baba said the contractor was targeting 10 kilometres of road formation before Christmas, with a further 30 kilometres expected to be completed in 2027.

He also disclosed that trial operations on the rigid pavement had begun, with about 400 metres already completed.

Baba expressed confidence that the construction targets would be met and said the project would follow required quality standards.

He explained that the use of cement concrete instead of asphalt was based on the Federal Ministry of Works’ specifications and was intended to improve the road’s durability.