Former Kaduna lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has cautioned northern leaders against efforts to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential elections, warning that such actions could jeopardize the country’s unity.
In an interview with Arise Television on Thursday, Sani urged northern leaders to support the Tinubu administration’s policies and programs that benefit the northern region rather than seeking more political power.
Senator Sani remarked, “There is evidence of rallying of forces. Regrouping of forces—political forces from the North—trying to use former President Buhari as a rallying point to evict the government of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.”
He added that portraying Tinubu’s government as one that undermines the North and fails to fulfill campaign promises could lead to serious national problems. He stressed that the focus should be on maintaining national unity and peace rather than personal political ambitions.
Sani also highlighted the urgent need for northern leaders to tackle the region’s longstanding issues of insecurity and poverty. He criticized past northern leadership for misusing power and failing to develop the region, leaving it lagging in various development indices.
“It’s a serious concern because part of the problem we are facing in the North today can be rooted in a history of bad governance, a history of corruption, a history of insensitive leaders, and a history of people who ought to have used power to develop their own part of the country which they have not been able to do,” Sani said.
Additionally, Sani urged the Tinubu administration to implement restructuring, which he believes would provide an opportunity to address underdevelopment issues systematically.
He emphasized the importance of northern leaders supporting the administration’s policies and utilizing northern-headed security apparatus to combat insecurity in the region.
“The North constitutes about 70% of Nigeria’s landmass and also makes up most of Nigeria’s population as it is more populated than the South.
When people from the North have the opportunity to be in power, they should prioritize areas in which there should be an intervention,” he concluded.
