By Ademola Adegoke
Opposition stalwart, Dele Momodu, has taken a hard look at the nation’s political landscape –current and in the near future –and concluded that only a formidable presidential candidate from the North can effectively counter President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
He took the position while speaking on Arise TV’s ‘Morning Show’ programme.
Momodu’s confidence lay in what he described as the North’s strategic phalanx in the nation’s presidential election configurations.
However, he said, presently the North feels marginalized under Tinubu and is unhappy, raring to transform this seeming bitterness into votes against his administration in 2027.
Only today too, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) spoke in similar vein, ventilating the deep emotion, almost bordering on anger, in the region against the Tinubu government, especially in the area of persisting insecurity, despite the toil of troops on ground.
Addressing a meeting of the pan-North body ahead the celebration of its 25th anniversary, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Bashir Dalhatu, said: “For the moment, it will suffice to say that Northern Nigeria is watching and auditing the actions of the elected and appointed officials, especially at the federal level.
“As a matter of fact, we have received a number of proposals from some of our elders that this body Appoints a special committee that will conduct a detailed study and a review of the policies, projects and programs embarked upon by the current government and determine how they have impacted the various parts of the country, particularly Northern Nigeria.
“This is perhaps the best way to determine whether or not our interests are being sufficiently accommodated. For the avoidance of doubt, we must reiterate our faith in the principle that says all politics is local.
“In other words, Northern Nigeria will remain faithful not to particular politicians or political parties but to those who care about our regional interests and are willing to promote and protect them.”
Dalhatu listed the advantages of the North including ownership of 19 of the nation’s 36 states; majority in both arms of the National Assembly, in National Economic Council (NEC), in Council of State; the region occupies about 75% of Nigeria’s land area and 60% of her population; asserting that “an area this big and this strong can never be subdued by any opponent.”
On the Arise TV programme, Momodu said marginalization could ignite Northern voters against the Tinubu government.
To him, Nigerian politics is more of an “optical illusion—much like magic, the more you look, the less you see.”
Reinforcing his position ahead 2027, amid opposition coalition talks, Momodu emphasized: “I believe Tinubu can only be effectively countered by another strong candidate from the North.
“Any Southerner who thinks they can challenge Tinubu is likely wasting their time. The PDP—or any coalition—must recognise that power dynamics require strategic thinking.
“They cannot expect success with a Southern candidate alone if they truly wish to contest Tinubu’s position.”
Dwelling on the importance of coalition politics, Momodu, warned that only a united front which embraces powerful Northern politicians like Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso,whose New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) controls vote-rich Kano State, can realistically up any chances of denying Tinubu a second term.
Recall that former Political Adviser to President Tinubu in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, recently revealed that the North will unfurl its political direction in no distant time even as he urged Tinubu to quit and let a new generation of leaders take charge of Nigeria.
