Tinubu’s Re-election Will Benefit North Politically — Coomassie

A senior lecturer at Baze University, Abuja, Barrister Saifuddeen Coomassie, has urged northern political stakeholders to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that the move would politically benefit the region and improve its chances of producing a strong presidential candidate in 2031.

Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Coomassie said the North should adopt a strategic political approach by allowing President Tinubu to complete two terms in office.

“I believe that President Tinubu remains the best option for the North,” he said.

“Strategically and politically, the North should have a rethink. The North should open its eyes and see what is best for the region.”

According to him, support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition would place the region in a stronger negotiating position ahead of the next power shift after 2031.

“From previous arrangements with late President Muhammadu Buhari and other northern political leaders on zoning, which started since 1999, if the North supports President Tinubu and encourages him to complete eight years, the region will stand a better chance,” he said.

“With strong consultations as northerners, the President will support the emergence of a formidable candidate to succeed him in 2031.”

Coomassie described President Tinubu as a leader with longstanding political relationships across different regions of the country, including the North.

“President Tinubu has always been a good friend of Northern Nigeria and a friend to all the regions of the country,” he said.

“He is one of the most diversified leaders in Nigeria who has built bridges across different regions.”

The lecturer dismissed claims that the President was unfriendly to the North, describing such narratives as politically motivated.

“What you hear or read in the media about the President not liking the North is all fake, lies advocated by the opposition,” he stated.

Coomassie also cited Tinubu’s previous political support for northern politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and former President Muhammadu Buhari, as evidence of his relationship with the region.

“If you look at the history, a few years back, Tinubu was the one who gave Atiku a platform — the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2007 to contest as president.

“If you also look at history, at one point, he also gave Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the current National Security Adviser, his backing in the 2011 general election to contest as president,” he added.

He said the Muslim-Muslim ticket that produced Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima was based on political calculations rather than religion, adding that the current administration had also supported Christians in the North.

The lecturer urged northern leaders not to disrupt what he described as the country’s political arrangement, but instead support the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We are better off with Bola Ahmed Tinubu so that he can help us produce a much better northern candidate in 2031,” he said.

Coomassie further claimed that mobilisation efforts were already ongoing in the North ahead of the 2027 elections and predicted strong electoral support for Tinubu in the region.

“President Tinubu will return elected as Nigeria’s next President until 2031. I am predicting about 15 million votes for President Tinubu in the North in the 2027 election,” he said.