"Nobody Can Stop Him": Arewa Forum Mentions Powerful Candidate That Will Defeat Atiku, Obi in 2027

• Tanko Yakasai has said President Tinubu remains the strongest candidate for 2027, citing his incumbency, nationwide support, and backing from ministers and governors
• The Arewa Consultative Forum founder also dismissed claims of a northern consensus, noting that the forum and Northern Elders Forum have not officially endorsed any candidate
• Yakasai urged politicians to abandon ethnic and religious politics, focus on national development, and adopt ideology-driven governance

Elder statesman and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the most formidable candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Yakasai said there is no other politician currently in the country with the political strength, structure, and elite backing to challenge Tinubu successfully.

Tinubu has backing of ministers and governors

According to Yakasai, Tinubu's incumbency advantage, coupled with the support of state governors and his ministers, places him far ahead of any potential opponent.

“In Nigeria today, Bola Tinubu is the president; he has his ministers and governors who are backing him.

“Who else has all what it takes to move into the contest with the kind of stamina and strength to be more successful comparatively with Tinubu?”

APC remains dominant across the country

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Yakasai stressed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to control most of Nigeria’s states and retains the loyalty of governors, even those elected under opposition parties.

“We should all wait and see if the picture will change drastically, otherwise for now, the odds are in his favour because I have not seen anything that will prevent him from winning the next election,” he stated.

The northern political veteran added that Tinubu’s administration has not antagonised the North and that no single region can determine the next president.

“He hasn’t done anything against the North, in my understanding, and the North alone cannot decide who becomes the president of the country,” he added.

No northern consensus yet on 2027

Responding to claims of a northern political consensus, Yakasai clarified that the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Northern Elders Forum have not issued any collective position on the 2027 election.

“I haven’t heard anybody making any proposition about the 2027 presidential election from Arewa Consultative Forum.

“What is tagged the Arewa Consultative Forum or Northern Elders Forum’s position is mere individual opinions, because all sections of the North have not taken a stand on this," he said.

Internal crises in opposition help Tinubu

Yakasai observed that the divisions and unresolved issues within opposition parties have inadvertently created a smoother path for President Tinubu’s re-election.

Though he declined to comment on Tinubu’s performance so far, the elder statesman called on political actors to focus on national development rather than personal ambition.

Politicians urged to prioritise ideology over positions

Yakasai concluded by calling for a shift in Nigerian politics from ethnic and religious agendas to issue-based leadership focused on national interest.

“Our politicians should see politics as a dynamic game, and what I will advise is for them to play the game on the basis of ideology and programmes,” he advised.

“Let them envision the way they want the country to be and not targeting to be ministers, governors and president.

“They should eschew politics of ethnicity and religion because not making our country the focal point of our politics has held us down for so long.”

The comments come as Senate President Godswill Akpabio recently announced that all political parties in Akwa Ibom have collapsed into a single entity to support the re-election of Tinubu, state governor Umo Eno, and himself.

2027 election: Atiku's camp offers Obi VP

Previously, Legit.ng reported that ahead of the 2027 election, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has reportedly offered Peter Obi a vice-presidential role.

Atiku asked Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, to be his lieutenant in a joint single-term ticket.

Source: Legit.ng