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.

Sunday PUNCH 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.

During the meeting, Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, urged the forum to queue behind Tinubu’s administration and second-term ambition, stressing that the former Lagos State governor remained the best choice to steer the country on the path of peace and prosperity.

“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 benefiting from a government that believes in equity and shared prosperity,” Gbajabiamila said.

Expressing their endorsement of a southern Presidency and Tinubu’s second-term bid, the caucus in a communiqué, signed by the Coordinator of the Forum, Rufai Chanchangi, a member of the 8th House of Representatives, praised Tinubu’s performance and called for political stability through continuity.

“We believe in equity, fairness, and political stability. It is in the best interest of the North and of Nigeria as a whole that the South completes its turn in the power rotation. We, therefore, endorse the continuation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership beyond 2027,” the communiqué stated.

In his contribution, the Chairman of the National Forum of Former Legislators, Nnanna Igbokwe, commended the Northern Caucus for what he described as 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 said.

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 Sunday PUNCH 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, whichh 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.

Sunday PUNCH 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. (Sunday PUNCH)