• Defections won’t save ruling party in 2027, says Melaye
• ADC accuses APC of political terrorism after Ekiti secretariat razed
• PDP northern elders knock Wike over ‘plot to destroy party’
• Elections have improved since PDP left power, says Akpabio
• If Tinubu fails, future leaders may struggle to succeed, says Shehu Sani
Some northern leaders have declared their intention to mobilise strong support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the North remains committed to a power-sharing arrangement that allows a southern president to complete an eight-year tenure.
The leaders, under the aegis of the Northern Bridge Builders Forum, said their backing for Tinubu was driven by satisfaction with his administration’s policies, particularly efforts to tackle insecurity and stabilise the economy.
They made this known yesterday during a visit to the leadership of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, at the Akure residence of its leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Ondo State.
The convener of the group, Senator Joel Dantami Iheny, said the North would not seek an early return to power after the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing such a move as unjustifiable.
“We are supporting President Tinubu because, you know, Nigeria belongs to all of us. And secondly, we believe in the unity of this country. We, the North, have just done eight years. Eight years of Buhari. Tinubu has been in office for two years and some months.
“And for us to agitate that we should continue again, it feels that human beings with conscience will not support it. So, we are men of conscience. That’s why we believe that the southern part of this country should remain.
“The government should remain here (South). After eight years, we will not get another one from the North. That’s why we are supporting him. The constitution says security is the responsibility of the government. And this government has agreed to fight the insecurity of our country, to stand still. So, the way Mr President is handling it, I think we should give him support,” he said.
Iheny, accompanied by Senator Danjuma, Prof Nora Ladi, and Rear Admiral (rtd), among others, assured that the North would deliver even greater electoral support for Tinubu in 2027 than it did in 2023.
Responding, Pa Fasoranti described the position of the northern leaders as a step towards national unity, saying Nigeria’s diversity should be a source of strength, not division.
Speaking through the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Olu of Ilu-Abo, Oba Olu Falae, Fasoranti said: “I’m very happy that bridge builders, those promoters of unity, are here. There are about 448 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, and every ethnic nationality, no matter how small, has a right to whatever it has to offer. That is what bridge building must pursue.
“No tribe is too small to be ignored. So, I’m happy that we are building bridges across the North and from the North to the South. That is the only way Nigeria can survive and thrive as a multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic country.”
Defections won’t save APC in 2027, says Melaye
AS the northern leaders rally behind Tinubu, dissenting voices argue that neither elite endorsements nor defections can guarantee victory. A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Dino Melaye, said the wave of defections by opposition governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general election will neither strengthen the party nor benefit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Melaye, in a post on his Facebook page yesterday, argued that recent political developments have weakened the influence of governors in determining electoral outcomes. He cited the performance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, in the 2023 election as proof that voters had moved beyond state-controlled structures.
According to him, “The 2023 presidential election signalled a political awakening in Nigeria; a loud rejection of the old order that believed power flowed from state governors and their entrenched structures. That illusion has finally collapsed.”
He recalled that despite lacking governors and major financiers, Obi won 11 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while Atiku secured victory in 12 states, eight of which were controlled by APC governors.
“The ruling APC, despite controlling 22 state governments, struggled to maintain coherence and voter confidence,” Melaye said. “The so-called structured APC failed to secure victory even in several of its traditional bastions. In Delta State, the sitting governor and PDP vice-presidential candidate lost his home state to Obi. Similarly, in Lagos, widely regarded as Tinubu’s political stronghold, the ruling party suffered a symbolic defeat to the Labour Party.”
He maintained that the election results showed a widening gap between political structures and voter sentiment, noting that Nigerians are now more politically aware and independent-minded.
“In 2023, Nigerians were not yet pushed to the wall. The cost of living, inflation, reckless borrowing, unemployment, and hunger had not reached today’s levels. Yet, even then, the people defied state machinery, patronage, and intimidation to vote with conscience rather than coercion. 2023 was a warning shot. 2027 will be the reckoning,” he said. Melaye predicted that continued hardship under the APC-led administration would make the 2027 polls a decisive moment.
“The governors can all decamp to the ruling party and hold hands on the way down; the electorate will ensure it is a spectacular collective defeat,” he said. “The age of imposed loyalty is giving way to one of independent conviction.”
He further criticised both the APC and PDP, describing them as parties “sitting on powder kegs” due to internal contradictions, corruption, and loss of public trust.
“For both, implosion appears not a question of if but when, which is sooner than we thought,” he said. Melaye said the ADC was emerging as a credible alternative, free from the “baggage of corruption and failed governance”.
“The ADC carries no legacy of looted governance and no cartel of entrenched elites. It represents a generational and moral reset: a people-driven alternative capable of redefining Nigeria’s political future,” he said. He concluded that the 2027 general election would be “an election of the governed, not of governors” and “a referendum between citizens and the establishment”.
“The handwriting is on the wall,” Melaye declared. “The days when governors dictated presidential outcomes are over. Nigerians have found their voice, and no power bloc can silence it again.”
ADC accuses APC of political terrorism after Ekiti secretariat razed
IN the same vein, the African Democratic Congress accused the All Progressives Congress of engaging in what it described as “political terrorism” following the burning of its state secretariat in Ado-Ekiti on Monday.
The party said the attack was a deliberate attempt to silence opposition voices ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that the early-morning arson formed part of a broader pattern of coordinated assaults on opposition figures and facilities across the country.
According to Abdullahi, unknown assailants set fire to the building housing the ADC’s Ekiti secretariat just hours before the party’s reconfiguration and affirmation ceremony, an event designed to renew commitment and strengthen its political structures.
“This was a deliberate act of arson intended to sabotage and terrorise the opposition ahead of the governorship election in the state. The ADC condemns this barbaric act in the strongest possible terms. It is criminal, anti-democratic, and a disgrace to all who claim to believe in political freedom,” Abdullahi said.
The party linked the Ekiti incident to similar attacks in Kaduna, Lagos, Kebbi, Kogi, and Edo states, alleging that the trend reflected a sustained campaign of intimidation since July, when an opposition coalition adopted the ADC as its preferred platform.
“This latest incident is only a continuation of serial attacks on our members and infrastructure across the country. Our members and structures have faced a pattern of orchestrated aggression that should alarm every citizen who believes in the freedom to choose,” the party stated.
The ADC listed previous cases, including assaults on party leaders in Alimosho, Lagos; a disrupted inauguration in Kaduna; an attack on the convoy of party officials in Birnin Kebbi; vandalism at its secretariat in Dekina, Kogi; and alleged threats from the Edo State governor.
“Each of these cases could be dismissed as isolated acts of political miscreants. But taken together — five states, multiple incidents, one consistent target — they form a pattern too dangerous to ignore. This is no longer about partisanship; it is about the integrity of the political process itself,” the party said.
The ADC also criticised what it called the “deafening silence” of democratic institutions over the growing wave of political violence.
“Where is the outrage from those who claim to be custodians of our democracy? A system that looks away while opposition parties are violently suppressed is a system begging for crisis,” Abdullahi stated.
PDP northern elders accuse Wike of plotting to destroy party
ALSO, the PDP Northern Elders Unity Forum accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, and his allies of working to destabilise the party and weaken opposition politics in Nigeria.
National Secretary of the Forum, Dr Abbas Sadauki, made the allegation in a statement issued after the group’s meeting yesterday, claiming that some members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), including the FCT minister, were aligning with external forces to undermine the party’s stability.
“There is no reason to allow these ungrateful people, who are under the guidance of their master, Mr Nyesom Wike, whose ambition is to destroy anything good about the PDP or any opposition movement, whether through court cases or the use of power, to succeed in destroying our party,” Sadauki said.
He stated that no amount of political intimidation, threats, or misinformation would stop the successful conduct of the PDP national convention scheduled to be held in Ibadan.
“Those misleading groups within our party to scuttle the national convention are jokers. They are predators unleashed against our collective interest and unity. Some members of the NWC who have chosen to align with forces bent on destroying our unity will not succeed. Their attempts will backfire; soon they will be buried in shame and political regrets for their wickedness,” he warned.
The Forum expressed support for the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Umar Damagum, and other party leaders it described as “genuinely committed to rebuilding and uniting the PDP ahead of 2027.”
“The commitment shown by Damagum and loyal stakeholders toward a positive future for the PDP is a big sacrifice to make the party stronger and united,” the statement read.
It also urged the judiciary and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be wary of “political mercenaries” allegedly manipulating institutions to destabilise democracy.
“We appeal to the judiciary not to be misled by these elements who are becoming tools for destroying our democracy. They are enemies of progress and a burden to government,” Sadauki added.
Reaffirming its loyalty to the current party leadership, the Forum insisted that the decision of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) to proceed with the national convention remains binding.
Elections have improved since PDP left power, says Akpabio
MEANWHILE, Senate President Godswill Akpabio insisted that Nigeria’s electoral process has already made major strides since the PDP left power.
Akpabio made the remark yesterday during plenary, as a bill seeking to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and enact a new Electoral Bill 2025 passed second reading in the Senate. He recalled that elections under the PDP-led government were often marred by irregularities and manipulation.
“You will agree with me that since PDP left, the elections have improved tremendously in this country,” Akpabio said. “I’ve been close to most of the presidents since 1999. And I recall in 2007, when I won as a governor, our then president, may he still rest in peace, President Yar’Adua, had to come out publicly to say that the election that brought him as president was totally flawed. He said it was full of inconsistencies and rigging.”
Akpabio noted that subsequent administrations had worked to “block the holes” that made electoral fraud possible in the past.
If Tinubu fails, future leaders may struggle to succeed, says Shehu Sani
IN a related development, former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, stated that it will be challenging for any future Nigerian leader to succeed if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to fulfil his mandate.
Speaking in an interview with TVC, Sani said Tinubu has a “historic opportunity” to reshape Nigeria’s destiny, stressing that the nation is at a crossroads that requires decisive and visionary leadership. He noted that the country’s political culture has remained toxic because politicians often treat opponents as enemies rather than partners in nation-building.
“Our politics is so toxic and hostile that those in government see the opposition as enemies, while those outside power see the government as an enemy,” he said. “When you have such combative politics, the country will continue to go down the drain.” Sani lamented that the nation’s obsession with politics has left little time for governance.
“In Nigeria, we only stop talking about elections in the first year after voting. From the second year, the next campaign begins. That’s why 80 per cent of every administration’s four-year term is spent preparing for another election,” he said.
Commenting on proposals for a six-year single term for presidents, Sani said such an arrangement could provide more time for governance but warned that it might be misinterpreted as an attempt to extend a president’s tenure. He urged President Tinubu to look beyond political affiliations in making appointments and to prioritise competence and inclusiveness.
“The standard he set in Lagos, where he brought the best people to lead, must now be applied nationwide,” Sani said. “If you have someone with a brilliant mind who can redeem the economy, you must consider what he offers, not his political leaning.”
He added: “It is incumbent on the president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to know that he has the unique opportunity as a leader to reset, reshape and reconfigure the destiny and future of this country. And to do that, he should not mind the fallout because at the end of the day, he should think of what becomes of Nigeria in the next 20 to 30 years. Those in power today are in their 60s and 70s. By 2040, many of them will be gone.
What future are we leaving for the younger generation? If President Bola Tinubu fails, I don’t think it will be easy for any other president to succeed.”
Sani urged the president to adopt a long-term reformist vision similar to that of leaders in countries such as Singapore and China, who have implemented bold yet unpopular decisions that have later transformed their nations.
“There is no perfect country in the world. None started perfectly. If you look at the United States over the past 100 years, it’s not much different from where we are today in terms of challenges,” he said.
