Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Gnduje, has said those who believe northern Nigeria will turn its back on President Bola Tinubu for his re-election bid in 2027 are “making a big mistake”.
Ganduje said his in Abuja on Friday, when he received northern Nigeria youth leaders from the 19 northern states during a courtesy visit.
“There is no better candidate to govern Nigeria beyond 2027 from the southern Nigeria than Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
“Pertaining to the next election in 2027, those that are nursing or thinking otherwise that the north will vote another candidate other than Asiwaju are making a big mistake.”
The former governor of Kano said Tinubu is the first president Nigeria is “lucky” to have, who is a core politician.
“This is the first time Nigeria as a nation is lucky to have a politician as president; his constituency is politics, his upbringing is politics because he believes in the unity of this country,” he said.
“In fact, he struggled; he was even in exile for democracy to survive in Nigeria. So, there is no better person to be elected in 2027 than Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Ganduje said there was an agreement, before the election of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, that power would return to the south after eight years.
“Asiwaju has only been there for less than four years now, and we have seen the measures, the reforms that he undertook,” he said.
“The reforms that he introduced in order to improve the social economic development of this country.”
He said Tinubu showed courage by removing the fuel subsidy when previous governments and the other 2023 presidential candidates avoided the decision.
“All the candidates who contested with him in 2023 promised to remove the fuel subsidy; even the previous government promised to remove the subsidy, but nobody was bold enough to do that job,” he said.
“But Asiwaju has succeeded in removing the subsidy, and now all the state governors, irrespective of their political leaning, believe they are getting more funds for the development of their states.”
He said the subsidy removal was done for national development and not to benefit APC governors.
“So, this president has undertaken measures that will improve the economy of this country,” he said.
Ganduje commended the northern Nigeria youth leaders for mobilising support and funds for Tinubu’s re-election.
“There’s no better commitment than this; you are contributing funds, your brain, your energy, and your time to ensure the re-election of Asiwaju,” he said.
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Murtala Gamji, national leader of the group, said the youths would mobilise across the 19 northern states to support Tinubu’s re-election.
“We have all agreed to support the re-election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by massively mobilising youths in the 19 northern states and to raise funds to buy his nomination form,” he said.
Gamji said claims that the north would not support Tinubu in 2027 were false.
“That’s a lie because nobody has supported us in the north like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
The forum also decorated Ganduje as the grand patron of the Northern Nigeria Youth Leaders Forum.
