2027: Northern leaders meet Afenifere, back Tinubu’s re-election

Some leaders from the northern part of the country on Monday visited the leadership of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, to declare their collaboration with the South-West in supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The northern leaders, under the aegis of the Arewa Think Tank, said they were impressed with the midterm scorecard of the president, hence the move to support him to run for a second term.

The convener of the group, Muhammad Yakubu, led the team from the north to visit leaders of Afenifere at the residence of its National Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Yakubu stated that the Think Tank group comprised professionals from the 19 states of the north, while a former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Muktair Yero, is their chairman.

Yakubu said, “So we are here today to renew our relationship with the South-West, to reassure the South-West that the North will stand by President Ahmed Tinubu and we want to also thank you (Fasoranti), sir, for the South-West to have given us a Nigerian president who has a vision, who has a mission, who has been doing well in the last two years.

“We are also here to present to you (Fasoranti) his mid-term scorecard, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s impressive mid-term scorecard. We are very sure and very hopeful that he will take us to the promised land. We have seen in the last two years, we have seen what inter-regional collaboration and support can do and what he has done to move this country forward.

“We are happy with him. We are impressed with his scorecard so far and we want to renew this support and collaboration with the South-West. We also want to thank the South-West elders, particularly the Afeniferes.”

Speaking on behalf of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and monarch of Ilu Abo community in Ondo State, Oba Olu Falae lauded the visitors for their wish to collaborate with southerners in supporting the President Tinubu administration.

Falae expressed hope that the administration would benefit the entire country, given the ongoing economic reforms embarked upon by the Tinubu administration.

“We thank God now that we have a civilian president who has demonstrated, first, his understanding of the problems of Nigeria and the courage to deal with those problems. We all knew that our subsidy was benefiting a gang of people who became billionaires at our expense.

“But they persuaded us that it was in the interest of the masses that we should stay. No government in the past had the courage to touch it. But Tinubu had the courage, and he did it.

“Secondly, as an economist, as a banker, I was horrified that Nigeria had about six different exchange rates. If you want to import raw materials, you’ve got a rate. If you want to subscribe to a professional society abroad, you’ve got a rate.

“If you are going on pilgrimage, you’ve got a rate. No country with multiple exchange rates is ever going to succeed or attract investments from abroad because people want to be certain what the exchange rate will be, first when they’re investing, and second, when they’re repatriating. Again, no government had the courage to touch those exchange rates. Tinubu had the courage to remove them.

“When he did so, many people screamed and shouted because it was painful. The price of petrol went up about ₦400 to ₦1,200 and the price of everything went up. It was a terrible, terrible hard time. But what he did was absolutely necessary. All I can say is that, if I was the one doing it with my experience, there were a few things I would have done before announcing those changes to minimise the negative effect. But we thank God things are getting better now. The prices of food are down,” Falae said.

In his remarks, the Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Kole Omololu, said the wishes of the northern leaders were a welcome development and expressed assurance that President Bola Tinubu would win the next presidential election.