A member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and former Secretary General of the Forum, Anthony Sani, has suggested that the Northern region may take a different approach in the 2027 presidential election, potentially rallying behind its own candidate to leverage its numerical strength.
Sani, in an interview with TheSun, emphasized the North’s history of fairness in supporting Southern presidential candidates, highlighting how the region played a decisive role in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 election.
Henzodaily reports that he pointed out that Tinubu’s win in the presidential election came from Northern votes, underscoring that the region deliberately supported a Southerner to ensure power rotation.
He also recalled the 1993 presidential election, where the North backed Chief MKO Abiola over their own Alhaji Bashir Tofa, even in Tofa’s home state of Kano.
Looking ahead to the next election cycle, Sani noted that the North’s sense of fairness should not be used against it, suggesting that the region might now consider prioritizing its interests.
Speaking on north giving Tinubu victory in the 2023 presidential election he said, “Yes, (President) Bola Tinubu did not win in the South but in the North because the North deliberately wanted power to go to the South.
“You recall the contest in 1993 where the North voted for Chief Abiola against their own, Alhaji Bashir Tofa who lost Kano State to MKO Abiola. I think it is not correct to use the North’s sense of fairness against the region.”