The President General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, has clarified that the northern region has not yet taken a unified stance on whether to support or oppose President Bola Tinubu’s potential second-term bid in 2027.
This comes in response to recent remarks by the suspended National Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mamman Osuman, who last week stated that the north would back a candidate from the region against Tinubu to “save the north and the country from hardship.”
Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, Shettima emphasized that while discussions on the matter are ongoing, the region’s decision would be guided by an evaluation of Tinubu’s performance.
“The north has not taken any position against Tinubu yet, but those who are not satisfied with his government have the right to voice their anger against him,” Shettima said. “As it stands today, there is no collective decision by the north on Tinubu. But some of our people are saying Tinubu should change some of his policies and come up with more friendly ones that will put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, and that is what we are encouraging him to do.”
Shettima dismissed claims of any current coordinated opposition from the north against Tinubu, describing such assertions as false.
“Anyone who tells you that the north has ganged up against Tinubu is lying. We have not arrived at that decision yet, and I don’t think we are getting there yet because some of us believe that the government can still do something,” he added.
Regarding the possibility of the north fielding a candidate to challenge Tinubu in 2027, Shettima stated, “Why won’t I want somebody from the north to succeed Tinubu? I want somebody from the north to succeed Tinubu after eight years if he does well. But if he doesn’t do well, in the next election, we will all collectively come out to work against him. However, for now, there is no reason to begin to gang up and think of anything in that form.”
Shettima reiterated that northern political influence would remain pivotal, but the region would decide its position only after assessing Tinubu’s leadership and its impact on Nigerians.
