More than 600 senior academics from public universities across Northern Nigeria have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The endorsement formed the major highlight of a meeting convened by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, for senior academics to deliberate on the political future of the country.
The meeting was held behind closed doors at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Kaduna. Newsmen were initially barred from the venue but were later allowed to witness the reading of the communiqué issued at the end of the deliberations.
Those at the meeting included Masari; Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal; Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum; and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya.
Others included the Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle; Minister of Housing, Muttaqha Rabe Darma; and former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari.
A source at the meeting said most public universities in the 19 northern states were represented, with participants from the North-West, North-Central and North-East given opportunities to make presentations.
The Vice-Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Prof. Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, spoke on behalf of institutions in the North-West, while the Chief Librarian of the Federal University Lafia, Prof. Abdulrazaq Baba Abdulrahman, represented the North-Central zone.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal College of Agriculture, Gwoza, represented the North-East. Prof. Mohammed Umar Sanda of the Federal University Dutsinma was also listed among those in attendance.
However, Prof. Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi of Bayero University, Kano, who was named by a source as an attendee, denied attending the meeting when contacted, saying he was not aware of such a gathering.
Prof. Musa, who read the communiqué, said the academics critically assessed the Tinubu administration’s performance since May 2023, as well as the country’s economic, political, security and social conditions, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
He said the academics acknowledged that Tinubu inherited an economy facing fiscal, monetary and structural challenges, alongside insecurity, infrastructure deficits and human capital gaps.
According to him, the participants also acknowledged that some of the administration’s reforms had increased hardship for Nigerians.
“While these reforms have imposed substantial short-term hardship through higher living and transportation costs and inflationary pressures, we also acknowledge that they have altered government revenues and public finance,” they said.
The academics, however, said the administration had recorded progress in areas including education financing, agriculture, infrastructure, business support, compressed natural gas, investment and the digital economy. Following their deliberations, the academics resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Also Read: Tinubu pushes for global governance reforms at BRICS summit
“We resolved to express our support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in the 2027 presidential election,” they said.
They, however, stressed that their support was not unconditional. “Our support should not be interpreted as a blank check,” they said, urging the government to listen to citizens, respond to legitimate criticism and address food and transportation costs, unemployment and insecurity.
They also called for an improved security strategy combining military operations, intelligence gathering, effective policing, community engagement and economic opportunities.
The academics further urged the government to increase investment in agriculture, education, healthcare, roads, electricity, irrigation and other critical infrastructure in Northern Nigeria.
Masari said the achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration in the education sector made it important for academics to participate in determining the country’s leadership rather than remaining on the sidelines.
He encouraged the academics to take an active role in the political process and contribute to national development.
The invitation letter to the meeting, sighted by Daily Trust, indicated that mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election was one of the major objectives of the engagement.
The meeting was described as an “interactive session of senior academics from Northern Nigeria and selected government functionaries” under the theme, “Consolidating the Renewed Hope Agenda: Three Years of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Achievements and the Road to 2027.”
The invitation listed two objectives: assessing the administration’s performance in the economy, security, education, infrastructure and social welfare, and securing the endorsement and active support of the academic community for Tinubu’s re-election.
It further stated that the purpose of the gathering was “not open-ended debate but mobilization.” Attendance was described as voluntary, with the organizers’ encouraging academics who were favorably disposed to the objectives of the meeting to attend.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has disowned the endorsement, reaffirming the union’s apolitical position.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the union had no involvement in the endorsement and stressed that individual members were free to belong to political parties in accordance with the law, but only in their personal capacities.
“We will never take such positions, going by our constitution. They cannot mention ASUU. Nobody can mention ASUU in that context because we’re apolitical,” Piwuna said. He stressed that ASUU had never endorsed and would not endorse any political party or candidate.
The ASUU president also cautioned members against dragging the union into the controversy, insisting that the organisation remained apolitical.
The political consultations continued on Sunday as Masari met with women Islamic scholars from the 19 northern states alongside Governor Uba Sani.
Masari said opposition to Tinubu in some parts of Northern Nigeria was largely driven by the fact that the president was neither Hausa nor from the North.
He made the statement while speaking at a gathering in support of Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and also defended the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket adopted by the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Masari urged Muslims and Northerners to reject ethnic considerations in political choices, arguing that character, competence and fear of Allah should guide their decisions.
He also questioned whether Nigerians should continue to focus on what previous administrations failed to achieve, noting that Northern leaders had governed the country for several decades.
Masari expressed confidence that Tinubu would win the 2027 presidential election. He predicted that the president would be declared winner on Jan. 16, 2027, while acknowledging that the administration could make mistakes.
He urged supporters to support the government in correcting its shortcomings while strengthening policies considered beneficial to Nigerians.
Masari also appealed for prayers for Tinubu and his administration, saying mistakes could occur due to human weakness but would not be deliberate.
Governor Uba Sani said the Northern Women Ulama endorsed Tinubu because of what they considered his achievements and inclusive style of governance.
“They are not endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu based on sentiments or some selfish reasons. It is simply because of what he has done for Nigeria and for Northern Nigeria in particular,” Sani said.
He said the women would take their message of support to communities across the 19 northern states.
“We, as governors who are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are here to support them, to motivate them to do more and take their message to all the 19 northern states, and all our wards and local governments,” he said.
Daily Trust
