A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has dismissed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu lacks political support in the North, insisting the president continues to enjoy significant backing in the region.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) chieftain warned it would be a “dangerous calculation” to assume otherwise.
“Tinubu is not an orphan in the North. He has people in the North. Maybe they’re not talking as much as they should, but he has people,” Jibrin said. “As much as you have people who want him out, you also have people who want him in.”
The lawmaker, who represents Bebeji/Kiru Federal Constituency of Kano State, also dismissed claims that the North had been politically “short-changed”, stressing that the region had held power longer than the South. He urged northern leaders to stop undermining their own representatives and backed the South to complete its eight years in power.
Jibrin further defended Tinubu against accusations that he is responsible for rising insecurity in the North, describing such claims as false. “Yes, truly, there are people in the North that want him out. You will also have people in the South that want him out. But you will also have people who want him in,” he argued.
On the future of NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, Jibrin confirmed that talks about joining the APC remain open, though vested interests in Kano politics may be slowing the process. He emphasised the continued strength of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in national politics.
Reaffirming his loyalty to Tinubu, Jibrin said: “I cannot see anything that will stop him from winning the elections in 2027. There’s no two ways about it. I am a Tinubu person. I like him and he likes me.”
His remarks come as political manoeuvres intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and Dino Melaye exploring a coalition.
In the 2023 presidential poll, Tinubu’s northern base, which gave him about 5.6 million votes, proved decisive in his nationwide victory. But rising discontent in the region over insecurity and development now threatens to reshape political alignments as the 2027 race draws closer.