Arewa Consultative Forum ACF split over President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid

Arewa Consultative Forum ACF split over President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid

A fresh rift is emerging within the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) over the 2027 presidential election, following opposing remarks by its leaders on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The controversy was sparked on Wednesday when the Forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad Baba, criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for limiting its 2027 presidential ticket to President Tinubu alone.

In an interview with the BBC, monitored in Kaduna, Prof. Baba said the APC’s stance was undemocratic and effectively shut out other potential aspirants within the party. He argued that such a move contradicts the principles of internal party democracy.
“Our Forum is not a political party, but we take an interest in matters of governance and politics. What we do is enlightenment,” Baba said. “There is need for the APC to allow any interested member to contest, in the interest of fairness and democracy.”

In a swift rebuttal, the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kano State, Dr. Goni Faruk Umar, distanced the Forum from Prof. Baba’s comments, describing them as personal opinions rather than the official stance of the organisation.

Dr. Umar stated that the ACF had not mandated any spokesperson to either support or oppose any presidential candidate. He emphasized that such statements must be approved by the Forum’s Executive Council before being made public.
“It is wrong for anyone to speak on behalf of the ACF without proper authorization. If Prof. Baba has a personal opinion, he is entitled to it, but he cannot speak for the Forum,” Dr. Umar said.

He stressed that the ACF, as a non-partisan socio-cultural organization, must avoid actions that would suggest it is aligned with any political party or candidate.

The Kano ACF boss further explained that similar controversies arose during the 2023 elections, when some individuals falsely claimed the Forum had endorsed a particular candidate.

“Here in Kano, we had to address the press to clarify that no one should go about declaring that ACF supports a specific candidate. That is not our role as a body,” Umar noted.

Analysts say the latest row underscores deepening internal cracks within the ACF, as leading voices struggle to balance personal political leanings with the Forum’s stated non-partisan mandate.

Prof Baba had earlier explained that such pronouncements by the ruling party by the ruling party in favour of President Tinubu, undermined Nigeria’s Constitution and run contrary to democratic principles.

Prof. Tukur Muhammad Baba had insisted that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to contest for any office, regardless of region, provided they meet the requirements of the electoral laws.

“As long as democracy is in practice and the Constitution remains operational, it sets out the conditions any citizen must fulfil before vying for office,” he said.
“By law, every Nigerian , not just from a particular zone , who meets the criteria laid down by the electoral commission can contest any position, including the presidency.”

Prof. Baba stressed that although ACF is not a political party, it has a responsibility to speak on governance and political issues that affect the country. He urged the APC to allow open competition rather than close ranks around a single aspirant.

But reacting, APC’s Director of Publicity, Malam Bala Ibrahim, maintained that while the Constitution guarantees the right of every qualified Nigerian to run for office, political parties also reserve the right to support aspirants of their choice.

“There is no question about it, the Constitution allows any qualified Nigerian to contest. But a political party also has its own preferences. Parties rally behind candidates they believe best represent their interests,” he said.
“That does not mean others will be stopped from trying. Anyone who qualifies can campaign. But at the end of the day, the party will screen and choose who it considers most suitable.”

In May, prominent figures within the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North-West — including governors, federal lawmakers, ministers, and party officials — openly backed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

While President Tinubu has not formally declared his intention to run again, political observers view the early endorsements as a sign of Nigeria’s entrenched culture of premature electioneering. Critics warn that this persistent focus on future polls, often at the expense of current governance, threatens to undermine both democratic accountability and national development.