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 was made during a stakeholders’ engagement convened by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, in Kaduna.
The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Centre, brought together academics, political leaders and government officials to assess the performance of the Tinubu administration and discuss the country’s political direction ahead of 2027.
Those in attendance included Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani; Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal; Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni; Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum; Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya; Minister of Defence Bello Matawalle; Minister of Housing Muttaqha Rabe Darma and former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
The Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Prof. Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, reportedly represented academics from the North-West, while the Chief Librarian of the Federal University Lafia, Prof. Abdulrazaq Baba Abdulrahman, spoke for the North-Central zone. A representative of the Federal College of Agriculture, Gwoza, spoke for the North-East.
However, Prof. Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi of Bayero University, Kano, who was listed by a source as having attended the meeting, denied being present, saying he was not even aware of the gathering.
According to the communiqué read by Prof. Musa, the academics reviewed the economic, political, security and social situation in Nigeria since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
They acknowledged that the administration inherited significant fiscal, monetary and structural challenges, alongside insecurity, infrastructure deficits and human capital gaps.
The academics also admitted that some of the government’s reforms had imposed short-term hardship on Nigerians through higher living and transportation costs as well as inflationary pressures.
They, however, said the administration had recorded progress in areas including education financing, agriculture, infrastructure, business support, compressed natural gas, investment and the digital economy.
After their deliberations, the academics declared their support for Tinubu’s re-election.
“We resolved to express our support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in the 2027 presidential election,” they stated.
The group, however, stressed that its endorsement was not unconditional, urging the Federal Government to address the concerns of Nigerians, particularly rising food and transportation costs, unemployment and insecurity.
They also called for a stronger security strategy combining military operations, intelligence gathering, effective policing, community engagement and economic empowerment.
The academics further urged the government to increase investments in agriculture, education, healthcare, roads, electricity, irrigation and other critical infrastructure across Northern Nigeria.
Masari, who convened the meeting, urged academics to become more involved in the political process, arguing that their knowledge and influence placed them in a position to contribute to national leadership decisions.
The invitation to the meeting, according to Daily Trust, identified securing the endorsement and active support of the academic community for Tinubu’s re-election as one of its key objectives.
The event was themed, “Consolidating the Renewed Hope Agenda: Three Years of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Achievements and the Road to 2027.”
The invitation stated that the meeting was designed not merely for debate but for mobilisation, with attendance encouraged among academics who were favourably disposed to supporting the president.
ASUU rejects endorsement
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has, however, distanced itself from the endorsement.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the union remained apolitical and had never endorsed any political party or candidate.
According to him, individual members of the union were free to belong to political parties or participate in political activities in their personal capacities, but such activities could not be attributed to ASUU.
“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 added that ASUU members could support candidates of their choice individually but warned against dragging the union into partisan political activities.
“We have never, and we will never endorse any political party candidate. Nobody should drag us into such things,” he said.
Masari meets Northern women Ulama
The political mobilisation continued on Sunday when Masari met with women Islamic scholars from the 19 northern states alongside Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State.
At the gathering, Masari defended Tinubu’s administration and the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
He argued that some opposition to Tinubu in the North was based on ethnic considerations, particularly the fact that the president is not Hausa.
Masari urged Northerners to focus on character, competence and commitment rather than ethnicity when making political choices.
He also defended the Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying those who supported it did so because of their religious convictions.
The presidential adviser expressed confidence that Tinubu would win the 2027 election, even predicting that the president would be declared the winner on January 16, 2027.
He acknowledged that the administration could make mistakes but said supporters should encourage the president to correct them while strengthening policies that benefit Nigerians.
Governor Sani, speaking at the gathering, said the Northern women were supporting Tinubu because of what they considered his achievements and inclusive approach to governance.
He said the women would take their message to communities across the 19 northern states, including wards and local government areas.
The series of meetings comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the Tinubu camp stepping up efforts to consolidate support across Northern Nigeria. https://verynigerian.com/2027-over-600-northern-lecturers-endorse-tinubus-re-election-bid/
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