By Sam Israel
Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, witnessed an extraordinary political gathering as thousands of supporters from across the six North Central states converged on the city for an All Progressives Congress (APC) mega rally in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu and other candidates of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rally, which brought together prominent political leaders, government officials, party faithful, traditional institutions, youth organisations and women’s groups, transformed Lafia into a centre of political activity. Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu, the APC governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, featured prominently among the party leaders whose supporters attended the event.
From the entrance gate into Lafia to the Lafia City Square, the rally venue, the political atmosphere was unmistakable. Billboards, banners, posters and other campaign materials bearing the images of President Tinubu and Senator Wadada adorned available public spaces, including streetlight infrastructure, creating a colourful display of party loyalty and political mobilisation.
The scale of the gathering also generated considerable commercial activity across the city and neighbouring communities. Water vendors, restaurant operators and other food sellers took advantage of the influx of visitors, providing refreshments and meals to participants who braved the hot weather to attend the rally.
The hospitality industry also experienced increased demand, with reports indicating that hotels in Lafia and neighbouring cities, including Keffi, Akwanga and Makurdi, had their accommodation facilities fully booked a day before the event. Commercial transport operators similarly benefited from the movement of supporters arriving from different parts of the North Central region.
For residents of Lafia, the rally provided a spectacle of political entertainment, with traditional drumming, music and dancing enlivening the streets. Various groups displayed their cultural identities and political affiliations, turning the gathering into a colourful convergence of regional diversity and party mobilisation.
However, the enormous turnout presented considerable logistical challenges. Access to the Lafia City Square became extremely difficult as streams of participants crowded the venue. Journalists, photographers, cameramen and other media professionals including the writer struggled to move around and obtain clear working positions, while the movement and seating arrangements for some dignitaries were also affected by the congestion.
Among the groups represented at the rally were members of the Keffi Eminent Forum, youth ambassadors, women’s organisations and traditional drumming groups from different parts of the states. Participants in white T-shirts and face caps bearing campaign insignia created a coordinated appearance reminiscent of major party conventions.
Traffic congestion was also reported along the Keffi–Akwanga–Lafia corridor, with vehicles queuing at the two toll plazas on the route. The volume of traffic placed considerable pressure on the facilities and complicated the movement of vehicles conveying supporters to and from the rally.
Earlier, Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule; Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu;; and other senior political figures received the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the Muhammad Buhari International Airport in Lafia before the rally.
Addressing the gathering, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, described the rally as part of the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections. They called on party supporters across the North Central states to sustain their support for President Tinubu and APC candidates.
Governor Sule and Senator Wadada also appealed for continued support for the President, pointing to ongoing and completed development initiatives, federal infrastructure projects and appointments of indigenes of Nasarawa State and other North Central states to public offices.
Among the projects highlighted was the Keffi–Nasarawa–Toto–Abaji road, alongside the Federal University of Mining Technology in Nasarawa State. The political leaders presented such developments as reasons for voters to consider continuity in the 2027 elections.
In her remarks, Senator Oluremi Tinubu commended the governors of the North Central states and other party leaders, including Senator Akume and the APC national chairman, for their participation in organising the rally. She described the gathering as unprecedented and expressed appreciation for the support demonstrated by party faithful.
The rally ended with supporters returning to their respective destinations after a day marked by political speeches, cultural displays, commercial activity and significant pressure on the city’s transport and event infrastructure.
Although the turnout demonstrated the APC’s capacity to mobilise supporters across the region, its ultimate electoral significance will be determined at the ballot box. Whether the enthusiasm displayed in Lafia translates into votes for President Tinubu and Senator Wadada in 2027 remains a matter for the electorate to decide.
For now, the Lafia mega rally has added a significant chapter to the APC’s political mobilisation efforts in Nasarawa State and the wider North Central region, setting the stage for what promises to be an intensely contested election season.
Israel JP is the Senior Special Assistant on media to Senator Wadada
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