Former Kaduna lawmaker and prominent human rights advocate, Shehu Sani, has raised concerns about an alleged political strategy by Northern leaders to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections. Sani warned that these plans could destabilize Nigeria’s unity, as he believes they stem from a recent meeting between ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Nigerian presidents from the North.
According to Sani, the visit of Northern politicians, including Atiku Abubakar and Governor El-Rufai, to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura was a strategic move aimed at removing Tinubu from office. He emphasized that such efforts could have detrimental effects on the nation’s unity and urged those involved to reconsider their plans.
The former senator’s comments have sparked a renewed debate on Nigeria’s political landscape and the potential impact of these alleged strategies on the country’s stability.
Sani outlined that Atiku and his political allies intend to paint President Tinubu as favouring his regional base over the broader national interest.
“They are trying to present him [Tinubu] as an ethnicist, a regionalist, and someone who betrayed Northern Nigeria despite receiving significant electoral support from the region,” Sani stated.
He described the move as a calculated attempt to sway Northern voters against Tinubu, framing it as a necessity to reclaim power.
Despite revealing these strategies, Sani advised Atiku and his cohort to exercise patience and respect the informal rotational presidency arrangement between the North and the South.
He suggested that Tinubu, representing the South, should be allowed to complete an eight-year tenure, after which power would naturally shift back to the North in 2031.