By Sabiu Abdullahi
More than 600 senior academics from public universities across Northern Nigeria have declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, Daily Trust reported.
The endorsement was announced after a stakeholders’ meeting 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 and several political leaders from the region.
Those present included 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.
Also in attendance were Minister of Defence Bello Matawalle, Minister of Housing Muttaqha Rabe Darma and former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
According to a source at the meeting, representatives of most public universities across the 19 northern states participated in the discussions.
The Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Prof Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, 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.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal College of Agriculture, Gwoza, represented the North-East.
However, Prof Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi of Bayero University, Kano, denied attending the meeting when contacted. He said he was not even aware of the gathering.
The Vice Chancellors of several federal universities in the North were also said to have attended.
Academics Assess Tinubu’s Performance
Prof Musa, who read the communiqué issued after the meeting, said the academics examined the performance of the Tinubu administration since May 2023.
He said their assessment covered the economy, security, education, politics and social conditions, with particular attention to the situation in Northern Nigeria.
According to him, the academics recognised that Tinubu inherited serious fiscal, monetary and structural problems, alongside insecurity, infrastructure deficits and gaps in human capital.
They also acknowledged that some of the government’s reforms had increased economic pressure on citizens.
“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 education financing, agriculture, infrastructure, business support, compressed natural gas, investment and the digital economy.
At the end of their deliberations, they declared: “We resolved to express our support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in the 2027 presidential election.”
They stressed that their endorsement should not be interpreted as unconditional support.
“Our support should not be interpreted as a blank check,” they said.
They called on the Federal Government to listen to citizens, respond to legitimate criticism and address the rising costs of food and transportation, unemployment and insecurity.
The academics also advocated a broader security strategy that would combine military operations with intelligence gathering, effective policing, community engagement and economic opportunities.
They further urged increased investment in agriculture, education, healthcare, roads, electricity, irrigation and other critical infrastructure across Northern Nigeria.
Meeting Was Designed To Mobilise Support
The invitation to the meeting showed that securing the active backing of senior academics for Tinubu’s re-election was one of its principal objectives.
The event 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 organisers listed two main objectives: assessing the administration’s record in the economy, security, education, infrastructure and social welfare, and to “secure the endorsement and active support of the academic community for the re-election of Mr President in the 2027 General Elections.”
The invitation further stated that “the purpose of the gathering is therefore not open-ended debate but mobilisation.”
It also said participation was voluntary and encouraged academics who supported the objective of the meeting to attend.
“All inquiries regarding accommodation and transport arrangements should be directed to the respective state coordinators, please,” it was stated in the letter.
Sources also said organisers provided logistics and transportation arrangements for participants.
A senior university staff member who did not attend the meeting said participants were expected to receive reimbursement for transportation and other expenses.
“Of course, you should expect all those who attended the stakeholders’ engagement to be reimbursed for their logistics and transportation. You don’t expect them to just attend and leave with empty hands,” the source said.
The amount reportedly paid to individual participants could not, however, be independently verified.
ASUU Rejects Endorsement
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has distanced itself from the endorsement, stressing that the union remains politically neutral.
ASUU President, Prof Chris Piwuna, said the endorsement should not be associated with the union or presented as an ASUU position.
He explained that individual members were free to belong to political parties under the law, but such participation must remain personal.
“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. Our members can belong to any political party that they want.
“They can do whatever they want to do under the law. We have never, and we will never endorse any political party candidate. Nobody should drag us into such things,” he said.
Piwuna also warned ASUU members against associating the union with the endorsement.
He said, “Neither our members nor our comrades should drag us into that controversy. We have never done it and we will never do it. We’re apolitical and we retain that apolitical position.
“It is the same mistake people make when lecturers go to participate in electoral duties and they will say ASUU members are participating in electoral duties. It is misleading.
“It is misleading because ASUU has not sent anybody outside to participate in the electoral duties or serve as electoral officers. You can imagine heads of institutions like vice-chancellors that are always fighting us on campus; when they go out and do something, they will say they are our members. Meanwhile, these are the people fighting the union. We don’t endorse candidates of political parties.”
Masari Seeks Northern Support For Tinubu
Masari continued his political consultations on Sunday with a meeting involving women Islamic scholars from the 19 northern states.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani also attended the engagement.
Masari attributed opposition to Tinubu in some parts of Northern Nigeria largely to ethnic considerations, arguing that some people oppose the president because he is neither Hausa nor from the North.
“What is the fault of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other than the fact that he is not a Hausa man or from the North?” Masari asked.
He condemned ethnic discrimination and argued that Islam does not place people above one another based on ethnicity, language or skin colour.
“Show me any weak Hadith that tells us to discriminate based on skin colour in Islam, or to discriminate based on language—that this person is Yoruba, this person is Hausa, or this person is Arab—such that their standing before Allah would be different, when fear of Allah is the only measure,” he said.
The presidential adviser, who served as Tinubu’s placeholder before the 2023 election, urged Muslims and Northerners to base their political choices on character, competence and fear of Allah rather than ethnicity.
He also pointed to the long period during which Northern politicians governed Nigeria and questioned whether citizens should continue to blame past administrations for unresolved problems.
He said, “Since the creation of the Nigerian Federation, northern leaders ruled Nigeria for nearly 30 years. So, I wonder: if what those people are complaining about wasn’t done back then, should we sit around complaining now?”
Masari also defended the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, saying those who supported the arrangement did so because of their religious convictions.
“Indeed, if Almighty Allah raises us on the Day of Judgment and asks us why we supported a Muslim-Muslim ticket, by Allah, we will have an answer: ‘Lord, we did it for Your sake,’” Masari said.
