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The President General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, has said the northern region has yet to take a unified position on whether to support or oppose President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid in 2027.
Recall that the suspended National Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum, Mamman Osuman, had last week said the north would support a candidate from the region against Tinubu in 2027, to save the north and the country from hardship.
But Shettima, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said while discussions were ongoing on the matter, the north was still evaluating Tinubu’s performance.
He noted that the northern region, known for its strong political influence, would base its decision on whether to support or oppose Tinubu in 2027 on his performance.
However, Shettima, said those dissatisfied with Tinubu administration’s policies had the right to voice their grievances, adding that there was no rush for the north to decide on who to support in 2027.
The Arewa Youth President said, “The north has not taken any position against Tinubu yet, but those who are not satisfied with his government have the right to voice their anger against him.
“As it stands today, there is no collective decision by the north on Tinubu. But some of our people are saying Tinubu should change some of his policies and come up with more friendly ones that will put smiles on the faces of Nigerians and that is what we are encouraging him to do.
“Anyone who tells you that the north has ganged up against Tinubu is lying, we have not arrived at that decision yet and I don’t think we are getting there yet because some of us believe that the government can still do something.”
On whether the north would support a candidate from the region against Tinubu, Shettima said, “Why won’t I want somebody from the north to succeed Tinubu? I want somebody from the north to succeed Tinubu after eight years if he does well. But if he doesn’t do well, in the next election, we will all collectively come out to work against him. However, for now, there is no reason to begin to gang up and begin to think of anything in that form.”
