Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on northern-based professionals in Nigeria’s creative industry to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, citing fairness, national unity and the potential benefits of the Federal Government’s creative-economy initiatives.
Shettima made the appeal in Abuja while receiving a delegation of Northern Performing Artists operating under the auspices of Triple-R For Renewed Hope at the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign office. The meeting formed part of political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Vice President said northern creatives could benefit significantly from policies and programmes aimed at expanding Nigeria’s creative economy. He identified areas including support for local talent, cultural preservation and the creation of economic opportunities through entertainment and the wider creative sector.
Shettima also assured the delegation that the Federal Government would continue efforts to support artists, filmmakers and musicians in the North. He urged the group to remain engaged with the administration and the APC, arguing that the benefits of its programmes and reforms would continue to emerge across different sectors.
The meeting also featured other senior APC figures. Former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who serves as Deputy Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for Parliamentary Mobilisation, commended the creative professionals for their declared support for Tinubu and other APC candidates.
Former Kano State Governor and former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje also called for greater investment in northern Nigeria’s entertainment industry, particularly through infrastructure and training for emerging artists.
The President of Triple-R For Renewed Hope, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, pledged the group’s support for Tinubu’s re-election and for APC candidates across the North. Representatives of the group also called for greater government assistance in reorganising the region’s creative industry and improving the infrastructure and welfare conditions of practitioners.
The engagement comes as political parties and campaign structures intensify preparations for the 2027 elections. While the participants presented the administration’s creative-economy policies as an area of opportunity for northern professionals, the claims about their economic impact remain political assertions that will be subject to broader public and policy scrutiny.
For Nigeria’s creative sector, the discussion also highlights the growing intersection between entertainment, cultural production and electoral mobilisation. Northern Nigeria has a substantial Hausa-language film and music industry, alongside other forms of cultural production, making creative professionals an important constituency in political outreach.
The 2027 election is expected to generate increased engagement between political actors and professional groups across Nigeria. The Abuja meeting therefore represents both a political mobilisation exercise and a discussion around the Federal Government’s relationship with the creative industry in northern Nigeria.
Vice President Kashim Shettima urges northern creative professionals to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid while promising continued government support for Nigeria’s creative industry.