Former Kano governor says Arewa for Asiwaju is engaging political stakeholders and building mobilisation structures across the North, although the region’s voting preferences remain diverse.
Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has declared that a political mobilisation group supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid believes northern Nigeria is ready to back the president in the 2027 general election.
Shekarau made the declaration while discussing the activities of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a political movement established to promote Tinubu’s second-term ambition across the North-West, North-East and North-Central geopolitical zones.
According to the former governor, the organisation aims to mobilise voters across the region and challenge political arguments that the Tinubu administration has neglected northern Nigeria.
“We call this movement Arewa for Asiwaju, simply indicating that the entire North is ready and committed to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Shekarau said.
He also disclosed that the group had been engaging political stakeholders, including governors and other influential figures, as part of its efforts to strengthen support for the president ahead of the next election.
Shekarau said A4A intended to establish structures across the region to coordinate its activities, receive reports from state coordinators and communicate what it considers the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
The proposed network is expected to provide an organisational framework for the group’s political activities as parties, campaign organisations and prospective candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential contest.
A contested political landscape
The declaration comes as Nigeria’s political actors position themselves for another potentially competitive presidential election. Support for Tinubu in the North is an important consideration in the political calculations surrounding his re-election bid, given the region’s electoral significance.
However, Shekarau’s statement represents the position and ambitions of A4A rather than an independently established consensus among northern voters. Northern Nigeria encompasses diverse political interests, communities and voting patterns, making it necessary to distinguish the claims of political mobilisation groups from the preferences that voters ultimately express at the ballot box.
Whether A4A can translate its stated ambitions into broad electoral support will depend on its organisation, engagement with voters and ability to persuade communities across the region in the months leading up to the election.
The group’s planned expansion therefore places it among the political organisations seeking to influence the debate over Tinubu’s performance and prospects for a second term.