2027: ‘North-Central will not join any coalition with North-East, North-West’

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As Nigeria gears up for the 2027 general election, the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has made it clear that the zone will not enter into any coalition with the North-East and North-West.

Rumors have been circulating that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors of Kaduna and Rivers states, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, are planning to join forces against President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

These speculations gained traction after opposition politicians, including El-Rufai, criticized Tinubu’s government and the ruling APC at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, held in Abuja on January 27, 2025.

El-Rufai urged opposition parties to unite and form a broad coalition to challenge the APC and protect democracy in the country.

In a statement released to journalists in Abuja, the North-Central APC Forum, led by Chairman Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, emphasized that the zone will not participate in any coalition that includes the North-East and North-West [1).

The Forum cited past experiences, particularly the events following the formation of the APC in 2013. At that time, three major opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) – merged to form the APC.

The CPC camp, led by Buhari, included Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State from the North-Central.

However, despite playing a crucial role in the coalition, the North-Central zone felt marginalized during Buhari’s administration, as key political positions and infrastructure projects favored the North-East and North-West [1).

The Forum’s statement highlighted this past experience, emphasizing that the North-Central zone will not repeat the same mistakes.

“The North-Central brought a sitting governor in the coalition. Many of the other zones did not bring anything.

“Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State in the North-Central was the only sitting governor that actively participated in forming the APC.

“But it is unfortunate that after he became President, Buhari did not even consider that when we asked for the position of Speaker and the position was taken to Lagos.

“During Buhari’s government the North-Central suffered most – we were denied infrastructure, our roads were not attended to and the high level ot insecurity in the region was not addressed.

“Instead the North-East and the North-West concentrated all the benefits in their zones. Federal appointments, which many Nigerians believed favoured the North, only went to the two zones. The North-Central was left out,” the statement said.

The APC Forum claims that the North Central Elders Forum’s (NCEF) 2019 request to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives was denied due to President Buhari’s influence. Buhari, hailing from the North-West, allegedly didn’t approve the request, leading to its rejection by the APC leadership.

The Forum also expressed disappointment that the North-Central zone didn’t retain the Senate President position during Buhari’s second term. Senator Bukola Saraki, from Kwara State, had held the position, but Ahmed Lawan from Yobe State took over in June 2019, serving until 2023.

The North-Central APC Forum views this decision as a regional injustice. Furthermore, the Forum distanced itself from a potential coalition, suggesting that certain politicians, like Atiku Abubakar and Nasir El-Rufai, prioritize personal interests over regional benefits.

According to the APC Forum, the request by the North Central Elders Forum, NCEF, for the zone to be given the chance to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2019, was rejected by the the APC leadership because Buhari, from the North-West, did not approve the plea.

The statement added that the position of Senate President in the Buhari government, which went to the North-Central following the election of Senator Bukola Saraki, from Kwara State, should have been retained by the zone during Buhari’s second term.

Ahmed Lawan, from Yobe State, replaced Saraki as Senate President in Buhari’s second term, serving in the position from June 2019 to the end of the administration in 2023.

The North-Central APC Forum said not retaining the Senate presidency in the zone, after Saraki’s tenure, was an injustice to the region.

Distancing the North-Central from the coalition, the statement added, “Whatever Atiku Abubakar and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai are doing is for their own benefit, not even in the interest of the North-East and North-West.

“Nigerians should also bear in mind that all these politicians who are attacking President Bola Tinubu today are just frustrated individuals who are angry that they are not part of the government.

“They will be singing a different song if they are part of the government.

“We restate our position that no magic would make President Bola Tinubu lose his bid for reelection in 2027 – not even the alliance and coalition of these political leaders. We are confident that Nigerians will once again chose the APC government in the next election because of the good performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“However, the North-Central APC Forum wishes to make it clear that the North-Central zone will not be part of any coalition with the North-East and the North-West.

“It is very imperative that we make this point because we have observed that the planned coalition is being championed by politicians from these two zones – His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the North-East and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai from the North-West.”

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