The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other prominent northern figures have rejected a call by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, for the North to wait until 2031 before contesting the presidency.

The northern leaders asserted that the region cannot be coerced into re-electing President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Ganduje had made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre and the Tinubu Northern Youth Forum at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.

He argued that since a northern president—Muhammadu Buhari—had completed two terms, fairness dictated that Tinubu should also serve for eight years.

However, the ACF and other political figures from the North rejected this stance.

Speaking to journalists, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, dismissed Ganduje’s statement as a reflection of the presidency’s “cult-like” nature, where total allegiance is expected.

He stressed that voters cannot be influenced by force.

“He or she or party members cannot influence voters by force. So, what he said was an opinion, and it’s up to the voters to endorse, reject, or modify it. In 2015, we were sold a dummy of anti-corruption. We were sold a dummy of many things, and people have realized that it wasn’t true. Then, of course, the Renewed Hope came in 2023, and the hope is turning into a nightmare,” Muhammad-Baba stated.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, also cast doubt on Tinubu’s chances, sharing a post on his verified X handle titled “2027: South West, Tinubu’s supporters playing with fire – Part 1.”

The post suggested that Tinubu’s relationship with the North had significantly deteriorated less than two years into his tenure, warning that he could suffer a fate similar to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lost re-election in 2015.