As the anti-Tinubu coalition, headed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, gathers momentum in the North, Elder Statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, has said the North alone could not determine the President in 2027.
His view contradicts that of former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who recently declared that the North would soon define its political direction, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Baba-Ahmed had stressed that no politician can win the Nigerian presidency without support from the Northern region.
However, Yakassai, a former Liaison Officer to late President Shehu Shagari and founding member of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, who spoke with Vanguard, noted that neither the North nor the South could determine who emerges Nigeria’s president.
Speaking against the backdrop of growing coalition against the Tinubu Presidency, Yakassai said: “The presidential election is a national affair. Any presidential election is a national issue, the North alone cannot determine who becomes President; the South alone cannot make it. The South and North must come together with a formidable candidate to get it done.
“When I mean a formidable candidate, it means apart from someone with the popularity, he must have the financial clout. Elections in Nigeria now involve a lot of money. Unfortunately, people with money in Nigeria do not like to sponsor any candidate. You must have enough money to put yourself there but don’t rely on others.”
Emphasising his earlier position, Yakasai declared that though the North plays a critical role in the emergence of a president, it cannot make the decision alone.
The elder statesman said: “Like I said, the North alone cannot decide who becomes President in 2027 but it will play a very important role because of its numbers. Of course, other factors will make it possible for a presidential candidate to emerge and win elections in this country. Those factors include acceptability and support by the stakeholders.”
No one can win presidency on regional voting alone – ACF
Speaking on the issue in an interview with Vanguard last night, the National Publicity Secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Prof. Tukur Mohammed Baba, said the forum had no control over who would win the presidential election noting that no one could be president on the basis of regional voting alone.
He said: ‘’In 2027, ACF views the statement as a personal opinion of Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed to which he is entitled. Whether or not it will come to pass, we don’t know.
‘’ACF as an organisation has no control over that. But we do know that no one can be president on the basis solely of regional voting alone, as the constitutional requirements require what is essentially a pan-regional spread of support at some minimum level.
‘’Again, whatever anyone thinks, it is the voter, if allowed to vote without interference, manipulation or other electoral malfeasance, that will determine the outcome. So basically, we need to wait to see how things eventually pan out.
Recall that on March 20, 2025, the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar announced the formation of a coalition of opposition political parties to oust President Tinubu in 2027.
Atiku, who spoke at a press conference at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, had said: “Yes, this is the birth of the coalition of opposition ahead of 2027.”
