Former federal lawmakers from northern Nigeria are divided over President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, following an endorsement by the Northern Caucus Forum of the 9th National Assembly.
The caucus, in a communiqué at the end of a dialogue session, convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, threw its weight behind Tinubu’s re-election bid, describing him as a national leader with a demonstrated commitment to equitable development across all regions of Nigeria.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS gathered that the dialogue session was part of the ongoing nationwide consultations by the forum aimed at promoting the second-term bid of President Tinubu, whose first tenure comes to an end on May 29, 2027.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, called on northern political leaders to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila, who made the appeal during the 2025 Dialogue Session of the Northern Caucus of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which he hosted in Abuja, described President Tinubu as a leader whose track record and commitment to national unity warrant unwavering support.
He charged the forum to mobilize support for Tinubu’s administration and his second-term ambition.
The former Speaker said Nigeria’s development rests on unity, continuity, and adherence to political agreements.
“President Tinubu is not just a Southern leader; he is a national leader who has carried every region along.From critical infrastructure to policy reforms, the North is benefitting from a government that believes in equity and shared prosperity,” Gbajabiamila said.
He pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects across Northern Nigeria, including road networks, rail line expansions, and agricultural revitalization efforts, as evidence of the administration’s balanced approach to national development.
“We are laying solid foundations today, and it is only right that the President is allowed to finish what he started,” Gbajabiamila said.
National Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Nnanna Igbokwe, lauded the Northern Caucus for what he termed a “bold and patriotic stand.”
“This resolution by the Northern Caucus is a significant statement of statesmanship. It shows leadership that transcends personal or regional interest. I am confident that more zones will follow this example in the spirit of unity and continuity,” Igbokwe remarked.
Following deliberations, the Northern Caucus issued a communiqué endorsing the Southern Presidency and President Tinubu’s second-term aspiration.
The document was co-signed by Hon. Rufai Chanchangi, Coordinator of the Northern Caucus, and Hon. Atiwurcha, Secretary of the Caucus.
“As partners in nation building, we subscribe to issues that unite us as a people for the peace and progress of our nation, Nigeria. We align to the unifying foundation of our country which relates to the rotation of power between the NORTH and SOUTH. We advocate that the south be allowed to complete their tenure.
“The forum is of the belief that it will be in the best interest of the north for the incumbent to complete the tenure of the south.” the communiqué declared.
The 2025 Dialogue Session is part of a series of nationwide consultations by the Forum aimed at fostering inclusive governance and ensuring a smooth democratic transition.
The Northern Caucus of National Forum of Former Legislators at the end of the 2025 Dialogue Session, appreciated the efforts of government so far, but urged more efforts to address security challenges, especially in Zamfara, Katsina, Plateau, Benue, Niger among others.
The forum said the dialogue session accorded the opportunity to engage with representatives of former legislators from the northern part of the country for proper understanding of government actions and directions.
While the forum appreciated the COS for the engagement, it urged the government to engage more with critical stakeholders for better delivery.
However, the endorsement has been rejected by another group of former northern ex-legislators, who described the meeting and its outcome as politically motivated and unrepresentative of the region’s true sentiment.
In a statement titled “We Can’t All Be Commodified,” the opposing ex-lawmakers, under the aegis of Concerned Former Members of the House of Representatives, Northern Nigeria, said the meeting was a staged political show with no mandate to speak for all northern ex-lawmakers.
The statement was jointly signed by Zakari Mohammed, Aminu Shagari, Tom Zakari, and Mohammed Musa Soba.
Confirming the statement to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS on Saturday, Mohammed said the Chanchangi group was deceived into endorsing Tinubu for a second term.
“We categorically state that this group does not speak for all former northern legislators, and the positions outlined in their communiqué are neither representative nor reflective of the current sentiments across northern Nigeria. At best, this forum is a political front posing as a neutral body, and should have boldly declared themselves supporters of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
“While they indulge in coordinated praise and political posturing, the true state of northern Nigeria is one of pain, poverty, and peril. Under the current administration, poverty has intensified, leaving millions of northern families in worsening economic hardship,” the statement read.
The group also criticised Tinubu administration’s handling of insecurity, poverty, and youth unemployment in the region, listing states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, and Benue as hotspots of continued violence and neglect.
“While they indulge in coordinated praise and political posturing, the true state of northern Nigeria is one of pain, poverty, and peril,” the rebuttal stated, describing the endorsement as a “hatchet job” aimed at securing patronage at the expense of the region’s suffering.
They further rejected any leadership claims by Chanchangi, labelling his actions self-serving and lacking legitimacy.
“We wish to clearly disassociate ourselves from Hon. Rufai Chanchangi and his co-travellers who signed the communiqué in question. They are not our spokesmen, and do not have the moral or constitutional mandate to speak on behalf of all former northern legislators. If the charade they staged in Kaduna—under the guise of a foundation associated with the revered late Sardauna of Sokoto—is their basis for legitimacy, then let it be known that such fraudulent appropriation of legacy and symbolism will never stand.
“This communique is nothing but a classic hatchet job, a desperate effort by a few to sanitise the failings of the present administration for personal favours, while the broader northern population bleeds silently.
“Let it be known: we will not be co-opted into political theatre while our people suffer. We refuse to endorse a failing system that continues to deepen the wounds of the North and the nation as a whole.
“The North deserves honesty, development, and bold leadership—not choreographed communiques masking hunger and insecurity,” the statement added.
The split in the ranks of the northern ex-lawmakers comes days after northern leaders gathered in Kaduna on Tuesday to assess the performance of President Tinubu’s administration two years after assuming office.
The meeting, held at the Arewa House, had the theme: “Assessing electoral promises: fostering government-citizens engagement for national unity.”
The meeting, which drew participants from across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, laid bare deep divisions within the region over claims of marginalisation and the performance of the Federal Government.
While some stakeholders lauded Tinubu’s developmental strides and appointments in the North, others voiced strong concerns over what they described as growing neglect, insecurity, and economic exclusion under his watch.
The Thursday meeting was believed to be another strategy by the Presidency to neutralise the perceived resentment of many northerners against Tinubu and wither the strength of opposition in the region.
A section of the northern leaders, including former Kano and Jigawa State governors, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Sule Lamido, respectively, believed that the North had received less attention from Tinubu’s administration.
Kwankwaso, a few days ago at a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano, accused Tinubu’s administration of favouring the South at the expense of the North — an allegation the Presidency swiftly countered.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS also notes that the newly formed African Democratic Congress-led coalition of opposition leaders is populated with northern political bigwigs, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
