Arewa Think Tank Rejects NCEF’s Call For Tinubu To Quit 2027 Race

The Arewa Think Tank has rejected the National Christian Elders Forum’s (NCEF) call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to seek re-election in 2027, saying the decision on who becomes Nigeria’s president rests with the electorate.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the convener of the group, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, said no religious organisation or pressure group has the authority to determine who Nigerians should elect, maintaining that the decision rests solely with the electorate through the ballot.

Yakubu said Nigeria’s democracy guarantees every qualified citizen the right to seek public office, while the electorate alone has the power to choose its leaders through a free and credible electoral process.

He cautioned religious leaders against actions capable of heightening political and religious tensions, urging them to continue providing moral guidance without turning the pulpit into a platform for partisan political campaigns.

According to him, clerics who wish to participate actively in politics should do so openly rather than present political preferences as religious positions.

Yakubu argued that the Tinubu administration should be assessed within the context of the longstanding structural and economic challenges confronting the country.

He said many of the nation’s present difficulties had accumulated over several decades and could not be resolved within a few years, adding that the ongoing reforms were aimed at laying the foundation for long-term economic recovery.

He also said the government had sustained engagement with faith-based organisations through collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and other religious leaders on peacebuilding, social welfare and community development initiatives.

The forum also reiterated its opposition to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, alleging that the administration had failed in the areas of security, economic management and citizens’ welfare.