- Ganduje’s push for the North to wait until 2031 for a presidential candidate was fiercely opposed
- Northern leaders rejected the call, emphasising that re-election decisions should be driven by policies, not forced loyalty
- Criticism of a ‘cult-like’ approach to the presidency surfaced as the Northern politicians claimed their autonomy
Prominent voices from the northern region, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), have firmly opposed the suggestion that the North should support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The leaders declared that the region could not be forced into backing Tinubu for a second term, adding that no individual could claim to be the sole representative or mouthpiece of the North.
Northern leaders reject call for Tinubu’s re-election unity
This reaction came in response to a statement made by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, who had urged northern politicians with presidential ambitions to abandon their plans for 2027.
Ganduje emphasised that Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms in office, arguing that it would be unfair to deny him re-election when a fellow northerner had been permitted to serve for eight years.
He said that the North should wait until 2031 before fielding another presidential candidate.
In response, the ACF rejected Ganduje's call, with its National Publicity Secretary, Profesor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, criticising the notion that the North should be forced to wait for such an extended period.
“Given the nature of the Presidency, it has become something like a cult; a personality cult and allegiance to the president because it looks like the president wants total allegiance and nothing else.
“We are in the season of politics and you should expect that those who are near the corridors of power should express those things. But it’s not constitutional,” Muhammad-Baba said.
ACF slams Ganduje’s “cult-like” loyalty to presidency
He described Ganduje’s statement as indicative of a “cult-like” attitude toward the presidency, where loyalty to the sitting president is prioritised over the interests of the broader electorate.
Muhammad-Baba emphasised that voters have the autonomy to make their own decisions and should not be coerced into endorsing a particular political agenda.
“There’s nothing new in what Ganduje said. So many people have said so before. Not too long ago, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume said the same thing that northerners should forget about it until 2031.
“He or she or party members cannot influence voters by force. So, what he said was an opinion and his personal opinion and it’s up to the voters to endorse, reject or modify what he said. I think voters are becoming wise as to where the president comes from. In 2015, we were sold a dummy of anti-corruption.
“We were sold a dummy of many things and people have realised that it wasn’t true. Then, of course, the Renewed Hope came in 2023 and the hope is turning into a nightmare. What will sell President Bola Tinubu, I think and I hope, is not whether he will contest or not, it will be his policies and their impact on the people. If they buy it, fine,” he noted.
Adding to the dissent, Mallam Salihu Lukman, a former APC National Vice Chairman for the North-West, expressed support for the views of the ACF, aligning with those who felt the North should not be dictated to in the matter of presidential succession.
2027: Nigerians, not politicians, will decide if Tinubu deserves 2nd term - Atiku
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar emphasised that only the Nigerian people can choose their president in 2027, responding to claims of Tinubu’s guaranteed second term.
The former Vice President emphasised that the decision on re-election belongs solely to the electorate, not political elites.