By Abdullahi Inuwa
The 2027 presidential race is already stirring fresh political calculations, with former Zamfara State Governor and APC chieftain, Abdulaziz Yari, urging northern Nigeria to remember President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s role in keeping power in the North during the 2019 presidential election.
Yari, who is the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and represents Zamfara West in the Senate, said the North should reciprocate the political support Tinubu gave former President Muhammadu Buhari by backing his bid for a second term in 2027.
He made the call in Lagos when he led members of the campaign council to the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, as part of the council’s engagements ahead of the election.
Yari argued that Tinubu had an opportunity to pursue his own presidential ambition in 2019 but chose instead to support Buhari, maintaining that it was the North’s turn to produce the president.
According to him, that decision should not be forgotten as Nigerians begin to make choices ahead of the 2027 contest.
“For us in the north, I think it is time for us to pay Tinubu back for allowing the north to complete its full term,” Yari said.
He recalled that some influential figures within the APC had attempted to persuade Tinubu to challenge Buhari in 2019, but the former Lagos governor declined.
Yari said Tinubu’s position at the time was clear: if Buhari was willing to seek re-election, he would stand with him.
“Tinubu said as long as Buhari can come out and ask people to vote for him, he would be with Buhari till the end. And that was what Tinubu truly did,” he said.
The APC campaign council boss maintained that the argument for Tinubu’s re-election goes beyond the issue of zoning or rotation of presidential power.
He said the president should also be judged on what his administration has done since taking office and its efforts to address problems inherited from previous governments.
“Today, I don’t think there is an excuse for us from the northern region not to support Tinubu to continue the good job he started and complete his tenure,” Yari declared.
He also assured Tinubu that he could rely on northern political actors who, according to him, believe in fairness and justice.
“The message from northern Nigeria, where I came from, is that there is nothing to worry about. There are still people of high calibre and character who believe in justice and fairness.
“We are going to do our best to ensure that Tinubu’s journey continues to the end. He can count on us,” he added.
Yari further praised what he described as Tinubu’s far-reaching reforms, arguing that the president inherited a challenging situation but had embarked on significant restructuring of the country.
His comments add a fresh dimension to the emerging 2027 political battle, placing the issue of political reciprocity alongside performance, regional calculations and the traditional debate over power rotation.
With the presidential contest gradually taking shape, Yari’s message signals an emerging APC campaign narrative: that Tinubu’s support for Buhari in 2019 created a political debt the North should now repay at the ballot box in 2027.
About The Author
