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Thepledge Big Story: 2023: Can Tinubu Really Trust The North?
By Augustine Akhilomen
With just three months to the all-important 2023 Presidential election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate and former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be banking on the massive support from the Northern region in a bid to have a breakthrough in his ambition.
The north, which has always served as the key region that often determines where the pendulum will swing to as far as bloc votes are concerned, will again come to the fore in the 2023 election. There has, however, been doubt in the minds of more than casual observers of Nigerian politics, that the North might not be totally in support of Tinubu’s ambition.
Democracy, as the saying goes, is a game of numbers. The North has the numbers and going by the numbers recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), it has the preponderance of voters and has always wielded considerable influence on who becomes president in Nigeria with its massive swathe of the politically-sophisticated population. The North is politically adroit and always makes solid and decisive political statements that resound with a loud, united thud in the entire Nigerian landscape, its leaders would boast.
Although the North had always made profound political choices, it had shared equally in the strings of leadership failures that had visited Nigeria since independence. Its leaders share in this leadership malfunction too, so the North has shared both in the glory and afflictions of the Nigerian state since independence.
But Tinubu, according to his core supporters, is arguably one of the best accepted and loved Southern politicians in the entire North today. A cosmopolitan, urbane, charismatic politician, Asiwaju has built massive bridges across the country, particularly in the North. He has cultivated love, acceptance and a widespread constituency in the North, such that he is more acceptable in the North than many top Northern politicians.
Many of the APC leaders also said the strong man of Lagos politics has borne his pains with such equanimity that he offers excellent support to the Buhari government to date. “It is only natural that the North reciprocates with their votes to Asiwaju in the coming presidential election. He has paid his dues quite satisfactorily”, one of them told Thepledge.
Tinubu is running on a joint ticket with Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno state (2011-2019) and former chairman of Northern Nigeria Governors Forum. Shettima is an astute administrator and is seen as skilled at bringing together fellow governors. But the decision to go with Shettima means the APC is running a Muslim-Muslim ticket, a move which goes against the convention of having a “religiously balanced” ticket in Nigeria.
However, many wonder if the former Lagos Governor can really bank on the Northern region to help him deliver the winning magic considering the other Northern candidates, such as Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will also be battling for their votes.
A very close political ally of President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano, Abdulmajid Danbilki Kwamanda has declared that Northern Nigeria has made its choice and will only vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“If you compare Tinubu to other candidates, including those claiming to be pan-Nigeria, you will realise that they have nothing to show that they have done for their people or constituents.
“Northerners will never vote based on myopic sentiments of tribe or religion, but based on the quality of the candidate and what he can do for them.
“The North will never allow the PDP to come back to power with the calibre of candidates they are presenting to Nigerians who are only after their personal whims and caprices”, he said.
In the same vein, Jigawa State Governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, one of the early backers of the APC National Leader, said the Northern part of the country will pay back Tinubu in the coming 2023 general election.
“Tinubu is the only friend to the north, he supported five different northern presidential candidates including Shehu Shagari, Umar Musa Yar’adua, Atiku Abubakar, Nuhu Ribado and President Muhammadu Buhari”
“So it is payback time and we are ready, we are honest people, we respect keeping to our promise and we are ready to compensate you for what you have done for the North”
Good enough, some of the governors under the umbrella of APC have thrown their weight behind Tinubu, despite the Party’s chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, insistence on the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan as the party’s flagbearer during the primaries.
Recall that Ahmed Lawan was announced as consensus presidential aspirant by the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a day before the convention at the Eagle Square, Abuja. Adamu was strongly resisted by the APC governors in the North, most of whom insisted that power must shift to the South.
It indeed, further created some sort of chaos in the party as those loyal to Tinubu voiced their anger on Adamu’s stance, claiming that the South deserved to be President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor. It was the persistent efforts of the Northern governors that made the emergence of Tinubu as the APC flagbearer a reality.
Even so, it was not a secret that Tinubu was in the past seven years relegated by President Buhari and a tiny cabal led by the President’s influential nephew, Mamman Daura. For years, the Lagos godfather had been the butt of jokes from the opposition as many of his key allies were sidelined in Buhari’s government.
In 2018, Tinubu’s wife, Remi, accused the President of dumping her husband, saying, “We were running three campaigns in my house and for him to be trashed like that?” However, Tinubu remained resolute as his eyes were fixed on the grand prize- the Presidency of Nigeria.
As he recanted during his last week visit to the Leader of Afenifere, the Pan Yoruba Socio-cultural group, Tinubu said he was nearly giving up his ambition because of the opposition he met on the way to realize his ambition. He said his belief in the unity of the country was rekindled with the level of support he got from the northern part of the country.
It’s important to note however that no Northern bloc has shown any displeasure or indisposition to Tinubu’s Presidency, an indication that the North may well have embraced him as their President come 2023.
As the ruling party with 21 state governors, the APC has the advantage of incumbency, but it remains to be seen if the northern political establishment will throw its support behind a man who is seen as a game changer; a man who is widely seen as a power broker, who understands the use of power and money.
The next few weeks will be decisive as the various political parties round up their campaigns. The odds largely favour Tinubu, given the division within the ranks of opposition PDP, but in politics, the dynamics may change at any moment. For now, Jagaban, as he is widely called, holds the ace as voters weigh their options before the February elections.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken said the showdown between Erling Haaland and Harry Kane will go a long way to deciding his side’s World Cup quarter-final against England on Saturday.
Haaland has struck seven times in his first four appearances at a major tournament to fire Norway to the last eight for the first time on their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence.
Kane is just one goal behind the Manchester City striker for the tournament after taking his World Cup tally to 14 as he has helped England reach a third consecutive quarter-final.
“I think it’s Norway versus England but I don’t think it is a secret that Kane is the match winner number one for England and Haaland is the match winner number one for us,” Solbakken said at his pre-match press conference in Miami.
Solbakken’s counterpart Thomas Tuchel was recruited by the English Football Association to get a talented generation of players over the line after a series of narrow misses at major tournaments under his predecessor Gareth Southgate.
By contrast, Norway are in their first major tournament of any kind for 26 years and have exceeded expectations, most notably in stunning 2-1 win against Brazil thanks to Haaland’s late double in the last 16.
“Every game has been the most important (in history) for Norwegian football, especially in the knockout rounds, so this is the third time it is the most important game,” added Solbakken. “I feel the players are in a relaxed but competitive mood.
“I think England has more pressure than us, but we also put pressure on our performance. When the game has started I don’t think the players think so much about the pressure when it’s eleven versus eleven.”
….We’re not afraid, Tinubu going in with 12m bloc votes – APC
National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that the party is not threatened by opposition propaganda ahead of the 2027 general election, saying President Bola Tinubu is going into the race with a bloc of over 12 million votes from party members. ExecutiveBranch
Yilwatda spoke on Friday while receiving the duly completed Independent National Electoral Commission INEC presidential nomination forms of President Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima, at a ceremony in Abuja. ExecutiveBranch
INEC has set Saturday, July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the names of their candidates to its nomination portal.
The submission of both forms effectively ended months of speculation about the president’s choice of running mate, as he has now settled for Shettima.
It also paved the way for the upload of Tinubu and Shettima unto the INEC portal, an action concluded on Friday night, beating the INEC deadline. ExecutiveBranch
The nomination forms were presented on behalf of President Tinubu by his Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Hon. Ibrahim Masari. The ceremony was attended by APC governors led by the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, some governors, deputy governors, members of the National Working Committee, the APC Caucus in the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council, senate and governorship candidates, and other party leaders and stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Yilwatda said the occasion climaxed a process that began with primary elections across all levels of government, from the House of Assembly to the National Assembly to governorship and the presidential primary. “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million of our members of APC who overwhelmingly voted Mr President as their candidate to flag off the party candidature in the 2027 presidential election,” he said. ExecutiveBranch
He added that beneficiaries of the administration’s programmes, including over 1.5 million students on the student loan scheme and their families, as well as communities benefiting from new road networks across the six geopolitical zones and fertiliser support to farmers in states such as Borno and Niger, would swell the ranks of those voting for the president.
Yilwatda urged governors and supporters to mobilise and publicise the administration’s achievements, saying his own people have fact-checked claims of government projects during a visit to his community and found them accurate.
He charged Masari to convey to President Tinubu that party members would vote massively for him in the election, expressing confidence that the APC would post its highest-ever votes across the geopolitical zones.
“We are not afraid, we are not in doubt of our success, there is no shaking at all in any way, that come 2027 our victory as a party is assured and assured,” Yilwatda said.
Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Seyi Makinde, has lamented that state governors are routinely blamed for insecurity despite lacking constitutional authority to direct security agencies operating in their states.
Makinde made the remarks during a visit to Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed on Friday alongside APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle.
The meeting was held behind closed doors, after which the leaders told journalists that discussions centered on security, governance and political developments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding to questions on insecurity in Oyo State, Makinde said governors bear the burden of accountability for security failures without having the powers needed to tackle them effectively.
“When the Chibok incident happened, President Jonathan was blamed. People all over the world demanded that President Jonathan bring back the girls. But when incidents happen in a state today, it is the governor and the state government that are blamed, even though governors do not have the authority to direct security agencies,” he said.
The governor argued that Nigeria’s security architecture requires urgent reform to align responsibility with authority.
“We need to review our security architecture and ensure that whenever responsibility is assigned, the authority to discharge that responsibility is also given. That is exactly what we will do if the people of Nigeria place their trust in the APM,” he added.
Speaking after the meeting, Governor Mohammed said the talks also focused on strengthening a credible and constructive opposition capable of providing alternatives to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections.
Also speaking, APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle expressed confidence in the party’s prospects in the next general election. He criticized the reported repatriation of Nigerians from South Africa and what he described as the Federal Government’s inadequate response to the situation.
Dantalle also faulted recent controversies surrounding proceedings at the National Assembly and the handling of the national budget.
“It is very shameful that Nigerians are being chased out of countries like South Africa, a country whose struggle for independence Nigeria supported, while our government appears unconcerned. It is embarrassing.
“It is also unfortunate that in the National Assembly, some people are allowed to speak while others are prevented from doing so. We all saw what happened in the House of Representatives this week. Nobody will save Nigeria unless we choose to save it ourselves,” he said.
The party leaders said they would continue consultations across the country in the months ahead as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Meanwhile, Governor Makinde has welcomed the release of the schoolchildren and teachers who were kidnapped by suspected bandits in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, describing it as a ‘big relief’.
Fifty-seven days after terrorists abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire, Oyo State, the Presidency on Friday announced that all the victims had been rescued in a coordinated security operation.
“It’s such a big relief for all of us and for those that are waiting, you know, for this past 57 days,” Makinde told Channels Television on Friday.
“I think it’s a big relief for all of us, and we’ll use the opportunity to say thank you to our service commanders, the Nigeria Police, the DSS, the military, and the high command, and of course the President, for pushing really hard to have this done.
“I think I’m just right now overjoyed, and I cannot really say much. I will talk much later when I can put my thoughts together,” he added.
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