Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has claimed that African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is beginning to gain greater acceptance among voters in Nigeria’s core northern states ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Bashir made the assertion in a post on his official X account on Thursday, arguing that the development represents a significant shift in Atiku’s political fortunes.
He said Atiku was gaining traction in the North and claimed this was the first time in the former vice-president’s political career that he was being embraced by what he described as the “core North.”
According to Bashir, part of the reason for the reported shift was Atiku’s presentation of himself as one of the more nationally inclusive presidential contenders.
He also suggested that Atiku’s position on the petrol subsidy debate could become politically significant as Nigerians continue to grapple with high fuel and living costs.
“That calculus could be the game-changer,” Bashir said in the post, referring to the subsidy debate.
The comments come against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive 2027 political landscape, with Atiku positioning himself as the ADC candidate and the opposition intensifying its campaign against President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku has repeatedly defended his proposal to restore petrol subsidy, arguing that Nigerians should not bear the full burden of high fuel prices.
The issue has triggered a sharp political response from the Presidency, which has argued that restoring subsidy would impose a significant financial burden on the country. The Presidency recently estimated Atiku’s proposed arrangement could cost approximately ₦19.1 trillion annually.
Bashir El-Rufai’s assessment, however, remains a political claim rather than an independently established measurement of voter support. No nationwide polling evidence was presented alongside his statement to demonstrate that a majority of core Northern voters have shifted towards Atiku.
The claim nevertheless offers another indication of how the subsidy debate is becoming intertwined with the political contest ahead of 2027.