Yakasai - TheNigerian

2027: Tinubu Still Has Strong Northern Support — Yakasai

TheNigerian — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:17:10 +0000

North still strongly backs President Bola Tinubu ahead of next year’s general elections, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement in the Northwest, Abdullahi Yakasai, has insisted.

Yakasai, speaking on Arise Television on Wednesday, dismissed speculation that Tinubu has lost Northern support.

Such claims, he said, were political posturing of opposition parties ahead of 2027 elections.

“For somebody to say that the political base and the support that Mr. President has been enjoying is no more there in the Northwest, I think these are just political negative statements.

“Honestly, I think the northern part of this country should be happy with what Mr. President has done,” he said.

Yakasai said President Tinubu had taken key steps to strengthen governance and development at the grassroots level in response to concerns over the deteriorating living conditions.

“A lot of responsibility for citizen welfare is not just on the federal government, but also on the state and local governments,” he said.

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Divided Opposition Will Favour Tinubu In 2027 — Yakasai

TheNigerian — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:59:53 +0000

Salisu Tanko Yakasai, a former Kano governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the 2023 elections, has warned that the growing division in the opposition in Nigeria could reflect the circumstances that brought President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to power in 2023.

Reacting to the formation of two opposition blocs by Peter Obi and Musa Kwankwaso with the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Yakasai said the two opposition blocs, African Democratic Congress (ADC and NDC) may split votes and eventually favour the ruling party in the 2027 general election.

In a post on X, Yakasai described the development as a “blessing in disguise,” saying that many Nigerians had hoped for a united opposition front, but that a single coalition might have faced legal and political hurdles that could have kept it off the ballot.

He argued that the existence of two opposition platforms could make it difficult to shut them out, forcing the government to either let both parties contest or suffer a backlash on Nigeria’s democratic credentials.

The more likely scenario, he said, is both the ADC and NDC contesting the election, leading to a divided opposition at the presidential level, which he believes would favour Tinubu.

“In that case, the more likely scenario I see playing out is that Tinubu allows both parties (ADC and NDC) to contest, leading to a fractured opposition going into 2027. If this happens, we may see a repeat of the 2023 pattern at the presidential level (because this will definitely favour Tinubu) while ADC and NDC make significant gains in National Assembly races, particularly across the North and East,” he wrote.

Despite the split, Yakasai reiterated his loyalty to the ADC and urged both camps to reduce tensions and keep the door open for future cooperation.

“Politics has a way of bringing together strange bedfellows,” he said, adding that they may still need to work together ahead of the 2027 elections.

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Anyaoku, Yakasai, Osoba to meet N’Assembly

Admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 02:13:25 +0000

In continuation of its quest for a new people’s democratic Nigerian Constitution, The Patriots led by former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku are to meet the leadership of the National Assembly in April.

The scheduled meeting with both the Senate and the House of Representatives comes as a follow-up to an August 9, 2024 meeting held with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Patriots comprises eminent Nigerians including Ike Nwachukwu, Tanko Yakasai, Olusegun Osoba, Alani Akinrinade, Anya O. Anya, Idika Kalu, Obiageli Ezekwesili.

The membership also includes Philip Asiodu, Pat Utomi, Solomon Asemota (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Obong Attah, Anthony Kila and Labaran Maku.

The group remains persistent in its call on President Bola Tinubu to convene a Constituent Assembly where Nigerians from every part of the country negotiate a Constitution that reflects their will and their existence.

The eminent Nigerians insist that only having a people’s democratic Constitution is solution to the nation’s challenges of hardship, corruption and insecurity.

The Patriots restated these calls when members converged on Wednesday for the 20th memorial anniversary of their founding chairman, Chief FRA Williams at the FRA Williams Chambers in Lagos.

Addressing journalists on the occasion, General Secretary, The Patriots, Mr Olawale Okunniyi said the group’s mission to the National Assembly is to demand the lawmakers to amend Section 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution to include a Referendum/Plebiscite clause whereby the people can demand a change of the Constitution at any time.

Questioned whether the constitution of membership of the 2014 National Conference could not be termed a Constituent Assembly, Okunniyi said there was need for a referendum to have been done in determining its membership composition.

“On August 9, 2024, we met with President Bola Tinubu where we stressed that there is need to replace the 1999 Constitution which has impeded our progress as a nation.

“We demand the President to immediately convene a Constituent Assembly for people to negotiate their existence. A people’s democratic Constitution is way out of hardship, corruption and insecurity.

“The current Constitution is warped, fashioned after corruption and supports corruption. The foundation, which is the Constitution, is faulty. Only two percent of Nigerians are benefiting from the Constitution and we need to correct this anomaly. We need a Constitution of the people that works for the poorest of the poor,” Okunniyi said.

He added, “Our next plan is to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly. We have made contact with the leadership of the National Assembly and the meeting will happen in April. We may meet the Senate and House of Representatives jointly or separately, however, it will happen on the same day.

“After meeting the National Assembly, we will, in the same April, begin zonal outreaches, advocacy to traditional rulers, influential leaders of geopolitical zones, labour leaders.”

He decried the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to send the 2014 Confab report as a bill to the National Assembly where a referendum on the report would have been done by a Constituent Assembly.

In arriving at a new Constitution, he, however, said the 2014 Confab report, the 1963, 1979, 1989, 1993 Constitutions, would serve as working documents when a Constituent Assembly is convened.

Aside from meeting with the National Assembly, Okunniyi said the group would also take the advocacy for a new Constitution to labour leaders, influential leaders, leaders of thought across geopolitical zones and traditional rulers.

He said the zonal advocacy outreaches are also to begin in April.

Some of those who advanced The Patriots cause at Wednesday’s memorial event were Prof Anthony Kila, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, Fafa Dan-Princewill, Mrs Ifeyinwa Ezenwa and son of the late FRA Williams, Kayode.

In his short remarks, Kayode Williams expressed belief that The Patriots agitation would come to pass, asserting his belief that President Bola Tinubu wants true federalism.

Another representative of the FRA Williams family, Folarin said a new Constitution was crucial to enthrone a proper federal structure.

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