Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State and Chief Government ‘Tompolo’ Ekpemupolo have said Nigeria cannot afford a change of leadership while economic and security reforms by the Bola Tinubu administration are underway.
They spoke on Wednesday in Jos at the inauguration of state and local government structures of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, unveiling of 25 campaign vehicles and other materials ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Tompolo, the movement’s Grand Patron, was represented at the event by the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Limited, Dr Kestin Pondi.
He urged Plateau residents to support Tinubu because he’s committed to addressing insecurity and restoring peace across the country.
Pondi, speaking on Tompolo’s behalf, described Tinubu as a courageous leader whose reforms needed time to produce results.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a courageous man, a lover of country and a reformer. He is reforming the country and reforms as we all know take time.
“It is a gradual process and with time, it will trickle down to all our countrymen and women. Today, governors are paying salaries and on time, projects are being executed by governors, more investors are coming into our country, unlike before when no investments were coming in.
“Investments bring employment and when this happens, there is the trickledown effect. The situation we are in at the moment is like planting a seed. When you plant, it germinates and then brings forth fruits and all these require patience but the results are inevitable.
“Our Grand Patron has asked me to appeal to you to be patient and support the re-election of our President in 2026,” Pondi said on Tompolo’s behalf.
He cited the proposed state police system as one of the outcomes of the administration’s reforms.
“Nigeria will not remain the same after the reforms. President Tinubu deserves a second term. Japan, China and the Asian Tigers, it took them time to be where there are today, so with the reforms on the ground, we will get there,” he said.
Pondi also urged the PBAT movement’s newly inaugurated coordinators to take the campaign to homes, markets and places of worship across the state.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, also called on Plateau residents to vote for Tinubu and other APC candidates, citing the president’s security interventions and infrastructure projects in the state.
He said the deployment of Department of State Services personnel to Bokkos, Riyom and other areas shows the administration is committed to solving insecurity. He also said Plateau was among nine states selected for the first phase of the forest guard initiative.
Yilwatda added that the proposed state police system would enable communities to have a greater role in local security.
On infrastructure, he said the ongoing dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos Road and plans for other road projects showed the federal government’s commitment to Plateau.
The APC chairman challenged residents to support the president’s second-term bid, linking the state’s prospects to the party’s continued control of the federal government.
Governor Muftwang, who also spoke at the event, said he had decided in June 2023 to support Tinubu because he believed the president was leading Nigeria in the right direction.
He urged residents to remain patient with the administration’s economic policies and maintain support for the president.
“I made up my mind since June 2023 to travel with the president as a man that is leading Nigeria forward. The enemies of Nigeria will not win. The president is committed to our security across the country.
“The project of improving the economy is on the right track. If we keep pursuing these policies, we will eat the good of the land. We will not change our driver now. The driver you know is better; let’s stick with him.
“There is no need to change the power-sharing arrangement between the north and south. We must be promise keepers and must stick with the president. PBAT Door-to-Door must continue to demonstrate that love.
“With time, we are going to reap the benefit of our son being the national chairman. Plateau will give the president the highest votes in the region,” the governor said.
Muftwang also urged the state to maintain the existing power-sharing arrangement between the North and South, saying political leaders should honour their commitments.
The event was attended by members of the National Assembly, the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, the state APC chairman, party elders and representatives of women and youth groups.