At Akure’s APC-PCC Rally, Shettima Says Tinubu’s Focused, Supercharging State Coffers, Fast-tracking Growth

* Reveals Ondo’s federation account receipts rose by over 22% in first 9 months of 2026 Deji Elumoye in Abuja Vice-President Kashim Shettima has stressed that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms are bolstering the fiscal strength of state governments, accelerating critical infrastructure and expanding economic opportunities across Nigeria. According to him, the economic policies of the Tinubu government have supercharged state-level revenues, unlocking vital investments in roads, agriculture, power, education and healthcare, with Ondo State recording a significant increase in revenue from the federation account. Speaking on Wednesday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Rally in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Shettima recalled that Ondo received over 22 per cent more from the Federation Account in the first nine months of 2026 than in the same period in 2025. Representing the president at the campaign rally, the vice-president told the mammoth crowd that gathered at the Akure Township Stadium that the gains recorded so far demonstrate the importance of sustained reforms and cooperation between the Federal Government and subnational governments. “Our promise to prioritise the welfare of Ondo State has been demonstrated through the increased revenue accruing to Ondo State. This has come with President Tinubu’s reforms. Even in the first nine months of this year, Ondo received over 22 per cent more from the Federation Account than it did in the same period last year,” he stated. Shettima lauded Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for deploying the additional resources towards development projects, noting that the administration’s interventions are addressing longstanding infrastructure and economic challenges. On agriculture and rural development, he disclosed that the Federal Government, working with the state government and development partners, had constructed, rehabilitated and maintained more than 386 kilometres of rural roads to improve access to farms and markets. “We are aware that a cocoa farmer in Idanre knows how much of his earnings a bad road can swallow. We have worked with your governor and our partners to build, repair and maintain more than 386 kilometres of rural roads,” he declared. The vice-president also highlighted the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, which he said had reached Ajegeri in Ilaje, the revalidation of the Port Ondo licence and the completion of 48 kilometres of concrete pavement on the Sagamu–Ore Road. In the power sector, Shettima announced the completion and inauguration of the Ode-Erinje transmission line and substation, while noting that pipes had begun arriving for the Owena water supply project in Akure. He further listed the operationalisation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Teaching Hospital, five TETFund projects at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, and healthcare support through 203 public facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. The vice-president said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), student hostel projects, MSME financing and grants are expanding opportunities for students, traders, artisans and small businesses across the state. On security, Shettima reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to strengthening security institutions and improving personnel welfare, citing the legislation providing statutory backing for the Police Training School in Oyin-Akoko. “We inherited a compromised security system, no doubt, and Ondo State paid a regrettable price. But we overcame all the attacks on us because we stood together and declared that never shall we let the enemies of the state triumph,” he said. The vice-president thanked the people of Ondo State for their continued support, assuring them that President Tinubu’s administration remained determined to consolidate its reforms and complete ongoing development projects. “Our economy is stable now. We have put the naysayers to shame. And the cause is not magic; it is your choice, your vote, your trust, your patience, your faith, and the leadership of President Bola Tinubu” he declared. “We will never take you for granted as we march together to the polls again to renew the mandate of our leader, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and finish what we have begun,” Shettima further said. Earlier, Ondo State Governor Aiyedatiwa vowed that the people of Ondo State would turn out en masse to vote for President Tinubu because the state is a progressive state, just as the president is a progressive, even as he applauded the ongoing reforms the Tinubu administration has embarked on to revamp the nation’s economy. Recalling that the people of Ondo State voted massively for the president in 2023, the governor said: “We voted for you because we believe in you, because we know what you can do, and because we know your track record as a former governor of Lagos State. Mr. President, you have not disappointed us at all. You have also done well here in Ondo State by giving us three ministers.” Aiyedatiwa acknowledged that the reforms undertaken by President Tinubu have been effective and have brought prosperity to the nation, even as he promised that the people of Ondo “will all go to the mountains, to the hills, and everywhere to tell the people about,” the president’s re-election. Also speaking, National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, waxed rhetorical, saying of the 18 presidential candidates lined up for the 2027 presidential poll, President Tinubu remains the most experienced, exposed, and prepared among them, as well as the only person who can take Nigeria to the next level. “We are here because 18 candidates have been presented as presidential candidates by 18 political parties ahead of the January 16 presidential election. The question is: Among those 18 candidates, who has the wisdom of experience, wisdom of exposure, wisdom of preparation and wisdom of purpose? Who is the person that can take us to the next level? That is why today I am here to present a candidate who is fearless; a candidate who does not run from any problem.” Describing the Tinubu/Shettima ticket as the most competent, Yilwatda also characterised President Tinubu as the most prepared candidate, possessing all the leadership qualities Nigeria needs at this defining moment. Also, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, urged the people of Ondo State to go to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and collect all their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) still piled up at the commission’s office in order to vote massively for the president in the January 16, 2027 presidential poll. “Going by the last count, we have 2.4 million registered voters in Ondo State. Out of 2.4 million voters, only 1.4 million have collected their PVCs. The question is, without your PVCs, how would you support President Bola Tinubu? “I, therefore, want to urge you to go to the INEC office and collect all your PVCs that are lying there so that on January 16, 2027, you will be eligible to vote. I have seen the enthusiasm of all the leaders in those states in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—an incredible goodwill I have seen,” he stated, calling for unity among party leaders. For his part, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, highlighted President Tinubu’s development strides in Ondo State and wished the president had brought similar infrastructure projects to his home state of Zamfara. “My state will grow and become like Ondo State. People of Ondo, on the 16th of January, you need to come out—youths, women, and the elderly—to ensure that Asiwaju wins. We are not looking for Asiwaju to win by a small margin. We are looking for Asiwaju to get millions of votes that will secure the presidency,” the DG urged the people. Yari appreciated the leaders for all the mobilisation seen from entering Akure to the venue of the campaign rally, urging them to work together to ensure maximum votes for President Tinubu.