2027: North will stand with Tinubu, claims of defection are a big mistake — Ganduje

The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has dismissed claims that northern Nigeria may withdraw its support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing such projections as a “big mistake.”

Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, maintained that there is currently no southern politician better suited to lead Nigeria beyond 2027 than the incumbent President.

He spoke on Friday in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the Northern Nigeria Youth Leaders Forum, which honoured him as its Grand Patron and pledged early support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Addressing the delegation, Ganduje said speculation that the North would back a different candidate in 2027 was unfounded, stressing that President Tinubu enjoys deep-rooted political credibility across the country.

“Those thinking the North will vote for another candidate in 2027 are making a grave error. This is the first time Nigeria is led by a President whose primary constituency is politics,” he said.

According to him, Tinubu’s political journey, sacrifice for democracy and belief in national unity distinguish him from other leaders.

“He has the upbringing, the belief in national unity and the history of even going into exile to ensure democracy survived in Nigeria,” Ganduje added.

The former APC chairman also noted that the President’s bold economic reforms were already yielding results that cut across party, ethnic and regional divides.

Ganduje further recalled the political understanding reached ahead of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which provided that power would rotate to the South after eight years, arguing that the agreement should be respected through a second term for Tinubu.

Speaking on behalf of the youth group, the forum’s National Leader, Murtala Muhammad Gamji, said northern support for the President was not merely symbolic but practical and financial.

Gamji disclosed that the group had already begun mobilising funds to purchase President Tinubu’s 2027 nomination forms.

“We are here to tell you that wherever you lead, we follow. Claims that the North will not vote for Asiwaju are false. No leader has supported northern interests quite like he has,” Gamji said.