Why North Must Back Tinubu In 2027 – Coomassie

A legal icon, Barrr Saifuddeen Coomassie, has urged northern region to unite behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and support his bid for a second term in the 2027 general election.

Coomassie, a political and legal analyst at Baze University, Abuja, said support for President Tinubu was necessary for stability, warning that opposition from the North to a full eight-year tenure for the President could deepen instability in the region.

Speaking amid concerns over insecurity, poverty and an estimated 10 million out-of-school children, mostly from the North, Coomassie said the President needed more time to address Nigeria’s challenges.

“Fighting the President, trying to get him out of the Villa in less than four years, is not going to do us any good,” he said.

“Anybody coming in is not going to be able to fix this country in just four years.”

He redirected blame from President Tinubu, who took office less than three years ago, to some northern leaders whom he said had held top offices for decades without doing enough in education, agriculture or security.

He cited former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal among such leaders.

“You don’t have to be president or governor to help your people,” Coomassie said.

“The only thing our northern leaders seem good at is mobilising our people anytime the government is not from the North.”

Coomassie also described the position of some leaders who had previously praised President Tinubu but were now criticising him as confusing.

He said a long-standing power rotation understanding between the North and South, supported by many political leaders in the past, allotted eight years to each region for the country’s stability.

Breaking that understanding now, he warned, could provoke backlash from the South and damage northern credibility.

“We are known for keeping promises,” he said.

Coomassie noted that President Tinubu supported former President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015 against then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

“This man supported one of the greatest dreams of northern Nigeria – to make sure that Buhari becomes the President. He made that dream come into reality for the North,” he said.

He acknowledged that Buhari’s eight years also fell short of expectations.

Instead of joining what he described as a fight against President Tinubu, Coomassie urged dialogue with the administration.

President Tinubu, he said, is receptive to advice.

“He likes to listen, he takes advice,” he said.

Coomassie said he would lead northern youths in taking their grievances directly to the President, while pushing for better representation and preparing a northern successor after 2027.

He also called on northern Nigerians to reject hate-driven politics and support ongoing reforms.

“Dialogue and communication are what are going to bring this government to do what the people need,” he said.