KEY POINTS
- Tinubu’s second term bid is yet to be decided by the north, until he is evaluated.
- There is a voice of dissatisfaction with policies, but no unified opposition as yet.
- If the Tinubu administration does well, it could support a successor from up north after his tenure.
Yerima Shettima, the President General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, says the north has not adopted a position of support or non support for the second term of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Speaking in a recent Saturday PUNCH interview, Shettima said the region’s decision would depend on how Tinubu performs in his current tenure.
So we are still evaluating Tinubu’s performance. However, the collective decision has yet to come out but we want government to come up with policies that will put smiles on the faces of Nigerians,” Shettima said.
Northern leaders had mixed opinions
The clarification comes after Arewa Consultative Forum Chairman, Mamman Osuman, who has been suspended, indicated that the north could support a northern regional candidate in 2027 to correct hardships allegedly suffered under Tinubu’s administration.
Shettima however, threw away claims of the existence of a northern consensus against Tinubu’s emergence, saying anyone who is dissatisfied with his policies is entitled to his or her grievances. Let me tell you, that anyone saying that the North has ganged up about Tinubu is lying.
But he said we have not reached that decision, some of us believe the government can still deliver some positive results.
Future prospects and regional dynamics
Shettima was also asked if he thinks it will be possible for a northern candidate to run against Tinubu after eight years in office and he said he will give way for the north after Tinubu’s 8 years if he does well.
We will support Tinubu if he does well. “We will continue to work together against him in the next election, if not,” he added.
The northern region, a major power player, is central to the path Nigeria’s presidential elections will take.
