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By Ayo Kehinde
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said no credible alternative has yet emerged ahead of the 2027 presidential elections, blaming President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, while insisting that no single region, including the North, can independently determine the outcome of Nigeria’s presidential race.
The position was expressed by the Forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, during an interview on PrimeTime on ARISE Television on Monday, in which he argued that Nigeria’s political class has failed to articulate a clear policy direction or present convincing solutions to the country’s worsening economic and security challenges.
According to him, public trust in political leadership has steadily eroded, particularly among northern voters who have become increasingly frustrated with the state of the nation.
“I haven’t seen a party that expresses a clear political ambition or ideological standard. The average northern voter is disillusioned and has been for a long time. We’ve tried all kinds of permutations: northern candidates, Muslim-Muslim tickets and so on. To the average northern voter it seems like all this politics is about personalities and personal interests. It’s not about people,” he said.
Mohammed-Baba said President Tinubu, whose electoral success in 2023 benefited substantially from Northern support, had seen his position influenced by public dissatisfaction with economic realities and persistent insecurity.
“The impact of his policies on the economy and especially on individual lives has been very disappointing, if not disturbing,” he said.
He argued that despite repeated assurances from government officials, the security situation in some parts of the country continued to deteriorate.
“Also, the problem of insecurity, whatever the government says, is getting worse,” he added.
Referring to discussions on forest safety initiatives, Mohammed-Baba noted that concerns raised more than a year ago have only recently received renewed attention.
“More than a year ago we talked about ‘Forest Guards’. Only recently, with the events in Oyo and Borno states, there was talk of deploying 1,000 forest guards in some states, but researchers have shown that there are more than 30,000 terrorists operating in our ungoverned spaces,” he noted.
He also cited the example of a northern community reportedly threatened by armed groups and forced to organize its own defense mechanism due to what he described as an inadequate state response.
“We are gradually normalizing self-help: if you don’t do something, the government will not be there to protect you. This undermines the essence of the role of the state,” he said.
On opposition figures expected to play a key role in the build-up to the 2027 elections, Mohammed-Baba questioned whether they had presented a convincing agenda capable of inspiring public confidence.
Speaking to Atiku, he described the former Vice President as a familiar political figure who was yet to present a distinctive national agenda despite multiple presidential candidatures.
“I don’t see anything in him that would present an alternative other than to say this government has failed. Where is the problem?” he asked.
On Obi, Mohammed-Baba said political movements and alignments around the former Anambra governor had generated uncertainty among northern voters.
“He has moved between two or three parties. The question we ask ourselves is: what does he want?”
He also criticized former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, for recent comments linking him to revered northern political figures, saying such remarks may not resonate positively in the region.
“In the North, this is very disrespectful. It would be highly delusional for him to go to that point and say that he presents an alternative. An alternative in terms of what? Has he articulated something about the economy, about security or something about infrastructure? When you keep talking about things in abstract terms that are counterintuitive to what people have latched onto, you’re going to get in trouble,” he said.
Asked whether any presidential candidate currently enjoys significant trust in the North, Mohammed-Baba declined to identify any individual.
“We’re waiting to see,” he said.
He also warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against overconfidence, warning that attempts to weaken opposition parties through defections and political maneuvering could produce unexpected consequences.
“Nothing fails like success. Be very careful, because sometimes complacency can bring surprises,” he warned.
Mohammed-Baba also rejected the perception of the North as a single political bloc capable of exclusively determining election results, insisting that Nigeria’s diversity makes such assumptions unrealistic.
“No region can determine the outcome of a presidential election on its own, and the North has never been able to do so on its own, outside of military rule,” he said.
With fuel prices exceeding ₦1,300 per liter in many parts of the country, millions of children out of school and recurring reports of bandits imposing taxes on farmers in states including Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara, Mohammed-Baba argued that the 2027 elections will ultimately be shaped by whichever candidate offers practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
“Is there anyone offering an alternative now? I don’t see anything,” he concluded.
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