Northern leaders reject Ganduje’s call for North to delay presidential bid until 2031

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other prominent political figures from northern Nigeria have strongly opposed a call by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, urging the region to wait until 2031 before contesting the presidency.

The northern leaders insisted that they would not be coerced into supporting President Bola Tinubu for re-election in 2027.

Ganduje made the controversial 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.

He argued that, in the interest of fairness, the South should retain the presidency for two consecutive terms, as former President Muhammadu Buhari, from the North, had completed two terms from 2015 to 2023.

However, the ACF and several key northern political figures swiftly rejected Ganduje’s stance, asserting that voters in the region would not be swayed by political maneuvers.

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Speaking to journalists, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, dismissed Ganduje’s statement as an attempt to impose a predetermined political agenda on the North. He characterized the APC leadership’s approach as reflective of a “cult-like” system where absolute loyalty is demanded.

“He or she or party members cannot influence voters by force. So, what he said was an opinion, and it’s up to the voters to endorse, reject, or modify it. 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,” Muhammad-Baba stated.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, also expressed skepticism about Tinubu’s prospects for re-election. In a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, titled “2027: South West, Tinubu’s supporters playing with fire – Part 1,” El-Rufai suggested that the President’s relationship with the North had significantly deteriorated less than two years into his tenure. The post warned that Tinubu could face a fate similar to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lost re-election in 2015 due to dwindling support from the North.

Political analysts believe that the growing discontent in the North signals a major challenge for Tinubu’s 2027 ambitions. The opposition to Ganduje’s call underscores the widening rift between the APC leadership and key northern stakeholders, raising questions about the party’s ability to maintain its electoral stronghold in the region.

As political tensions rise ahead of the 2027 general elections, the North’s stance on power rotation is expected to play a decisive role in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape.

Observers note that the resistance from influential figures like the ACF and El-Rufai could further complicate Tinubu’s path to securing a second term.