•To unveil preferred presidential candidate in April
With the 2027 general elections drawing closer amid deepening security and governance challenges, Northern Nigeria’s political and civic space is witnessing renewed mobilisation for introspection and collective action.

From Abuja to Kaduna, influential regional organisations and advocacy groups are meetingaround a common concern: the need to arrest worsening insecurity, rebuild institutions and redefine leadership choices in the region.

At the forefront of this push is the Rebuild Arewa Initiative for Development (RAID), which has announced plans to convene a major non-partisan regional convention in April.

The proposed gathering is envisioned as a platform for northern stakeholders to forge a unified roadmap on security, development and inclusive governance ahead of 2027.

RAID disclosed the plan in Abuja at the weekend during a media briefing on activities marking the 2026 Sardauna Memorial Day. According to the group, the convention would bring together political actors, traditional and religious leaders, youth and women organisations, civil society groups, professionals and business leaders, all working towards articulating a common Northern position on peace-building, poverty reduction, education revival and accountable governance.

Speaking at the briefing, RAID’s Director of Communications and Publicity, Bitako Abubakar Umar, explained that the initiative “is deliberately people-driven and non-partisan, aimed at guiding leadership choices and policy priorities in the run-up to the polls.”

He warned that the region’s insecurity, manifesting in banditry, terrorism, farmer-herder conflicts and kidnappings, now poses a grave threat not only to the North but to Nigeria’s stability and economic future.

RAID’s Secretary, Kabiru Duhu, anchored the conversation in history, urging northern leaders to rediscover and adapt the leadership philosophy of the Sardauna of Sokoto and former Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

ALSO, the Arewa group has confirmed that the region willname its preferred presidential candidate in April. The 19 states in the zone, it stated, would confirm the prospective nominee. The declaration, RAID said, would be made during the northern convention.

According to Umar, participants would work towards articulating a common position on restoring peace, tackling poverty and unemployment, reviving education and strengthening governance across the North.

He explained that the initiative is designed to produce a people-driven roadmap that would guide leadership choices and policy direction in the run-up to the 2027 polls, while reaffirming the North’s commitment to unity, constructive engagement and national development.