Tension is brewing within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as northern youth stakeholders have threatened to reconsider their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, alleging marginalisation in political appointments, youth leadership and decision-making structures.

The development followed a high-level meeting between the leadership of the North-West APC Youth Stakeholders Forum, led by its Coordinating Chairman, Hon. Bashir Ruma, and the national leadership of the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum.

The meeting focused on what the groups described as the alleged exclusion of northern youths from strategic political positions and decision-making processes within the APC and the federal government.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum, Amb. Salawudeen Shaibu Planner, the group alleged that northern youths had been systematically sidelined from key youth leadership positions.

It said it would mobilise APC support group leaders across the North to resist what it described as sectional politics and unequal treatment.

The forum announced that the North-East and North-Central zones would be coordinated by Hon. Haruna Sardauna and Mallam Idiriss Jibrin respectively, with a mandate to engage APC support groups and stakeholders across the two regions.

According to the group, the coordinators would mobilise stakeholders against what it described as attempts to sideline Arewa-led support groups while advocating greater inclusion and equitable representation.

The forum also said several APC support group leaders had indicated their willingness to join a collective campaign against what it described as tribal discrimination, insisting that political opportunities should be accessible to young Nigerians regardless of their region.

In what could become a significant political warning ahead of the 2027 general elections, the group said it had directed 1,378 registered APC political support group leaders across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory to commence consultations on whether to withdraw their support for Tinubu’s re-election bid if their concerns were not addressed.

A major focus of the allegations was Barrister Seyi Tinubu, son of the President, whom the forum accused of wielding influence over youth political structures and appointments in a manner it claimed had disadvantaged northern youths.

The group alleged that appointments and leadership positions within youth-related political and governmental institutions had disproportionately favoured individuals from the South-West, particularly the Yoruba ethnic group.

It argued that the alleged pattern had created a sense of exclusion among northern youths and called for greater regional balance in youth representation.

The forum also questioned what it described as the recognition and support allegedly given to some youth movements associated with the South-West, claiming that support groups led by northern politicians and youth leaders had not received comparable consideration.

The statement alleged that Seyi Tinubu had influenced the emergence of individuals from his ethnic group in several youth-related positions.

It specifically cited the Ministry of Youth Development, the APC youth leadership structure, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and other youth platforms.

The forum further alleged that two youth movements — the City Boy Movement and the Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria Movement — had received preferential consideration in the mobilisation of support for the President ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to the group, both movements are led by individuals it described as close to Seyi Tinubu, and it alleged that northern-led APC support groups were being pressured to work with them.

The forum described the alleged development as discriminatory and unacceptable, arguing that APC support groups across the country should be treated equally irrespective of their regional or ethnic affiliations.

It therefore called on APC support group leaders across the 19 northern states to commence consultations on withdrawing their support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign if what it termed the marginalisation of northern youths continued.

The group said: “Nigeria belongs to all of us, and the APC and Tinubu belong to Nigeria, not only to the Yoruba.”

It further argued that northern voters played a significant role in Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election and deserved to see their electoral contributions reflected in political inclusion and opportunities for young people.

The forum also contended that Tinubu secured significant support across several northern states in 2023, arguing that the region should therefore not be treated as politically expendable.

However, the group stopped short of calling for confrontation, with Ruma urging northern youth leaders to remain united and peaceful while pursuing what he described as a legitimate demand for equal representation.

He said the objective of the movement was to strengthen democratic participation and ensure that every region had a voice in national youth affairs.

The forum warned that continued dissatisfaction among northern youths could have consequences for APC unity, grassroots mobilisation and the President’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 elections.

It urged the APC national leadership to urgently engage northern youth stakeholders and address their concerns before the disagreement escalates.

The group also appealed to President Tinubu to promote national unity by ensuring that political appointments and opportunities reflect Nigeria’s regional and cultural diversity.

It maintained that equitable treatment of youths from all parts of the country would strengthen democratic participation and sustain confidence in the ruling party.

With political activities already intensifying ahead of the 2027 elections, the allegations are likely to fuel further debate over regional representation, youth participation and the management of support groups within the APC.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency, the APC national leadership nor Seyi Tinubu had publicly responded to the allegations contained in the forum’s statement.