Famous leaders of the North, including the AREWA Advisory Forum (ACF), dismissed the call from Abdullahi Ganduje, President of the National Progressive Conference (APC), that the North should wait until 2031 to seek a presidency.
ACF and other northern voices insist that the region cannot be forced to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, stressing that no one can decide the political direction of the north.
Naija News The report said their response came after Ganduje issued a statement on Tuesday, when he warned Northern politicians to care for the presidential ambitions in 2027 to raise the idea, highlighting that Tinob must serve two terms.
Ganduje’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre and Tinubu Northern Youth Forum at APC National Secretariat in Abuja Remarks were made in the delegation.
Ganduye: “Tinub will serve two terms”
Ganduje defended his position, believing that fairness and equity demands that Tinubu be allowed to complete his term, just as former President Muhammadu Buhari (the Northerner) took office for eight years.
He said “When a leader in the north of the country was in office for eight years, we argued that the next president in our party should come from the South.
“Luckily, we work very hard with the Nigerians. Our president is from the South and is heading for a second term in 2027.
“It will be a turn in the north of the country after that.”
El-Rufai warns not to impose Tinub in the north
However, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai seems to question Ganduje’s position, sharing a post on his proven X-handle titled ” 2027: Southwest, Southwest, Tinubu supporters play on the fire – Part 1. ”
The post shows that North Korea’s relationship with Tinob has deteriorated within two years and that if not careful, Tinob could suffer the same fate as former President Goodluck Jonathan.
ACF rejects Ganduji’s call
The Arewa Consulting Forum (ACF) also rejected Ganduja’s call, pointing out that the North cannot be forced to support Tinub in 2027.
ACF National Propaganda Minister Tukur Muhammad-Baba said in accepting Punch that he dismissed Ganduje’s position, noting that it reflects cult loyalty to the presidency rather than democratic choice.
“Given the nature of the president, it has become a cult; personality worship and loyalty to the president, because the president seems to want full loyalty and nothing else.
“We are in the political season and you should expect those who are close to the corridor of power to express these things. But it’s not constitutional,” Mohamed-Baba said.
He stressed that voters cannot be affected by force, saying that voters can be recognized by them, rejected or modified Ganduji’s opinion.
“There is nothing new to what Ganduye said. So many people said that before. Not long ago, the federal secretary George Akume said that northerners should forget this until 2031.
“He or she or the party member cannot influence the voters by force. So what he says is an opinion and his personal opinion, recognized by the voters, rejected or modified what he said. I think that voters are becoming wise about the source of the president, the voters are becoming wiser about the origin of the president. . In 2015, we were sold out as anti-corruption dummies.
“We were sold a lot and people realized that it wasn’t true. Then, of course, the update hope was in 2023, and hope turned into a nightmare. I think President Bola Tinubu will be sold for sale The reason for Tinubu) is not whether he will compete, but his policies and their impact on the people. If they buy it, it’s good,” He pointed out.
Lukeman supports El-Rufai’s position
Former APC Vice President (Northwest) Salihu Lukman threw his weight behind the former Minister of the former Federal Capital Territory in an interview with Punch.
He said “El-Rufai didn’t say something different than what I said in all of this. The only difference is that when I talk for the whole country, he was talking for the North.”
