Former Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central, has called on Northern politicians with presidential aspirations for 2027 to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a two-term tenure to ensure peace and stability in Nigeria.
During an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Sani alleged that prominent northern political forces plan to use former President Muhammadu Buhari to undermine Tinubu’s administration. He remarked, “It is a tradition, a culture, a norm, or a ritual that each time you have a Sallah celebration, prominent people do visit the former President of this country, but I must clear the air by making a point.”
Sani expressed concerns about the regrouping of political forces in the North aiming to use Buhari as a figurehead to challenge Tinubu’s government. “First of all, there is evidence of rallying of forces, regrouping of political forces from the North trying to use former President Buhari as a rally point in order to evict the government of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.”
He further stated that these politicians hope to resurrect political sentiments among the masses by portraying Tinubu’s government as neglectful of the North and failing to meet campaign promises. “Reason being that he has the highest votes from there, and I must warn that an attempt to do that can create a serious problem for our country.”
Sani highlighted the contrast between the North’s current political maneuvering and the South’s previous respect for Buhari’s tenure. “Buhari has been in power for eight years and there has never been any serious Southerner who challenged his government in terms of trying to remove him out of office.”
He emphasized the importance of prioritizing national unity over regional ambitions. “We should be thinking of a united country, a peaceful country. Nigeria is still a fragile nation. What will happen if Southern politicians decide to also form the idea of uniting them and making a position that this is their stand? There will be no Nigeria.”
Sani urged Northern politicians to sacrifice their ambitions for 2027, suggesting that they could justifiably seek power after Tinubu’s potential second term. “They [Northerners], in the interest of the unity of the country and the future of the country, sacrifice their own personal ambitions, at least for 2027 and North will have the moral right to ask for power after the second term of this administration if a Southerner takes over power, even if it is not Tinubu.”
He concluded by criticizing the Northern leadership’s past performance and stressing the need for policies benefiting the people. “North wasted eight years in power and did nothing for the region and did nothing for the people and left the region worse than it met it in 2015. This is not the time we should key into policies and programmes that will benefit our people.”
