A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has said that the North will vote against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections due to hardship and what he described as policies that have alienated the region.

Speaking on Trust TV’s Sunday Politics, Lawal said Tinubu’s administration had failed to improve the lives of Nigerians and that a coalition of northern political leaders was mobilising to produce an alternative candidate.

He said Tinubu’s appointments and policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy and rising cost of living, had worsened the suffering of Nigerians.

“Even governments are supposed to improve the lot of the people. The key word here is improved. A government that comes and decides to throw things in the other direction and make it worse must be stopped,” he said.

Lawal dismissed claims that Tinubu’s recent appointments were designed to appease northern interests, saying they were “cosmetic.”

“These are all cosmetic things. I was the one who opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket. When I see the appointment of a Christian APC chairman, I know Bola is preparing for another Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.

He added that Tinubu’s appointments were politically calculated to divide the electorate, noting that “the Muslims that voted for him, he has alienated them, he has embarrassed them, and underdeveloped them.”

Lawal also confirmed that his group, the Northern Political Consultative Group, is working with the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and other northern groups to align for 2027.

“I am a member of the Arewa Consultative Forum. We also work with the Northern Elders Forum and others. We are all complementing each other. There is no other way you can get power if you don’t align with a given political party,” he explained.

Lawal, who described himself as a large-scale farmer, criticised the government’s handling of agriculture and food security.

“Last year, we could sell a bag of maize for N110,000, but fertilizer was N45,000. Today, fertilizer is N70,000, while maize has dropped to N65,000. They have imported expired maize and rice, flooding the market and destroying local farmers. Farming has become a lost venture,” he said. (Daily Trust)