Prominent northern leaders, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), have dismissed calls by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, that the North should wait until 2031 before seeking the presidency.
The ACF and other northern voices insisted that the region cannot be forced to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, stressing that no single individual could dictate the political direction of the North.
Henzodaily reports that their reaction follows Ganduje’s statement on Tuesday, where he warned northern politicians nursing presidential ambitions for 2027 to drop the idea, emphasizing that Tinubu must complete two terms in office.
Ganduje made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre and the Tinubu Northern Youth Forum at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
Ganduje: “Tinubu Will Serve Two Terms”
Defending his stance, Ganduje argued that equity and fairness demand that Tinubu be allowed to complete his tenure, just as former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, completed eight years in office.
He said, “When a leader from the northern part of this country was in office for eight years, we advocated that the next president in our party should come from the South.
“Luckily enough, we worked very hard with the cooperation of Nigerians. Our president has come from the South and is going, Insha Allah, for a second term come 2027.
“And after that, it will be the turn of the northern part of this country.”
El-Rufai Warns Against Imposing Tinubu On The North
However, former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai appeared to question Ganduje’s position, sharing a post on his verified X handle titled: “2027: South West, Tinubu’s supporters playing with fire – Part 1.”
The post suggested that the North’s relationship with Tinubu has deteriorated within two years, and if care is not taken, Tinubu may suffer the same fate as former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lost re-election in 2015 due to dwindling support from key political blocs.
ACF Rejects Ganduje’s Call
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) also rejected Ganduje’s call, stating that the North cannot be coerced into supporting Tinubu in 2027.
Speaking to Punch, ACF National Publicity Secretary, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, dismissed Ganduje’s position, stating that it reflects the cult-like allegiance to the presidency rather than a democratic choice.
“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.
He emphasised that voters cannot be influenced by force, saying it is up to them to endorse, reject, or modify Ganduje’s opinion.
“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 realized 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.
Lukman Supports El-Rufai’s Stand
A former APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, in an interview with Punch, threw his weight behind the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
He said, “El-Rufai is not saying anything different from what I have been saying all these while. The only difference is that he is talking for the North while I talk for the whole country.”