Crowd boos Tinubu at APC campaign rally in Kaduna

There was mild drama at Ranchers Bees Stadium, Kaduna, venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off, when a section of the crowd gathered at the event shouted “Ba ma yi” as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took to the podium.

“Ba ma yi” is a Hausa expression denoting lack of support for a person.

Tinubu was in Kaduna on Saturday for the flag-off of his 2027 presidential campaign, where thousands of supporters gathered in solidarity.

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However, things took a different turn when he started speaking and shouted “Nigeria”, and the crowd responded with “Ba ma yi”, which roughly translates to “we don’t like you”.

He also asked “Kaduna”, and they answered differently, so much that he had to say “Sai Uba Sani” himself before continuing his speech.

Daily Trust heard some of the crowd who booed him cite insecurity and harsh economic policies as their reasons for the expression.

During his speech, Tinubu admitted that there is hunger in the country but blamed the opposition for it, while promising to end it if re-elected in 2027.

‎Earlier, the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, presented the party’s flag to the seven governors of the North West geopolitical zone.

The governors are Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Radda of Katsina, Nasiru Idris of Kebbi, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.

Daily Trust reports that all the seven governors are in their first term and seeking re-election under the party.

The flag-off also had in attendance governors of Lagos, Bayelsa, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Adamawa, Imo, Yobe, Borno, Kwara, and Ondo, among others, as well as the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Others include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas; Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin; Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele; ministers; and many other National Assembly members and former governors.