No Political Objective Is Improved by Disorder" - Shettima Inaugurates Transporters' Campaign Structure
Transport union leaders and their members from road, rail, aviation, maritime, logistics and pipeline sectors gathered in Abuja on Monday for the formal inauguration of the National Structure of Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, a coalition campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In an address delivered on his behalf, Vice President Shettima described transporters as "credible witnesses to our struggles" and urged them to keep political engagement peaceful and issue-based.
The Vice President was represented by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President, who read the address and inaugurated the group's National Working Committee, coordinators for the 36 states and the FCT, and coordinators for all 774 local government areas.
"Every day you convey people and goods from one part of the nation to another, and this makes you credible witnesses to our struggles," the address read.
The Vice President warned against violence, intimidation and electoral misconduct.
"No political objective is improved by disorder," he said. "Elections are opportunities for every citizen or group to express their interests and demonstrate their preferences."
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Barr. Emeka Okafor welcomed the transporters' unity and described the sector as central to the economy and the administration's Renewed Hope agenda.
"The APC Chairman and the entire party leadership commend you for coming together under this platform to support our President and Vice President," Okafor said.
He urged members to spread the record of the administration's work and help consolidate its gains ahead of 2027.
Prince Segun Obayendo, Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation and National Coordinator of the group, said the coalition has begun building a digital membership database and put its membership at more than 19 million transporters nationwide.
He projected that the group would deliver more than eight million votes for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in 2027.
"We are not making empty claims," Obayendo said. "We are united, and we are working with data."
Obayendo said no government in Nigeria's history had taken transportation as seriously as the current administration, citing fuel subsidy removal, CNG expansion and investment in electric mobility. He added that the group's structure runs from the national level down to local government coordinators.
Prince Adetokunbo Ademola Ade-John, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, praised the administration's infrastructure investments and called on transport unions to digitize passenger manifests and strengthen security reporting. He said illegal movement of crude oil and minerals had been reduced and should not be allowed to return.
In a goodwill message, Dr. Obiakpor Odire, representing the Director General of the Tinubu Support Group, Dr. Umar Tanko Yakasai, described transporters as strategic partners for grassroots mobilization.
"Your network and reach will be vital in taking the message of renewed hope to the grassroots," Odire said.
The event also received goodwill messages from Alhaji Mohammed Sanni of the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NACTOMORAS), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) FCT Abuja, and Ambassador Aisha Mousa Lawal, a leading figure in the United Keke Owners and Riders Association in Nigeria.
Their presence underscored the broad support the coalition has drawn from the transport sector and marked a formal consolidation of its campaign structure ahead of the 2027 elections.