By Our Reporter
Ahead of the 2027 General Elections, an Arewa group, under the aegis of Rebuild Arewa Initiative for Development (RAID), has said that the 19 states in the North will announce their preferred presidential candidate in April this year.
The northern group made this known on Friday, while briefing newsmen on activities lined up to mark the 2026 Sardauna Memorial Day, saying that the declaration would be made during the northern convention in April.
This was just as the group said that the region is currently confronted with deep and interrelated challenges that can no longer be addressed with silence, denial or fragmented efforts, disclosing that it had contacted all northern groups and the April convention was to ensure that all interests group take uniform position on the 2027 polls.
Director of Communications and Publicity of the group, Comrade Bitako Abubakar Umar, expressed the body's concerned over the worsening insecurity across Northern Nigeria and announced its plans to convene a major regional convention aimed at forging a unified strategy on security, development and inclusive governance ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Comrade Umar said the proposed convention in April would serve as a non-partisan platform for Northern stakeholders to collectively address the region’s pressing socio-economic, political and security challenges.
According to him, the convention would bring together political, traditional and religious leaders, as well as youth and women groups, civil society organisations, professionals and business leaders, saying that participants would work towards articulating a common position on restoring peace, tackling poverty and unemployment, reviving education and strengthening governance across the North.
Umar explained that the initiative was designed to produce a people-driven roadmap that would guide leadership choices and policy direction in the run-up to the 2027 polls, while reaffirming the North’s commitment to unity, constructive engagement and national development.
He warned that the prevailing insecurity, marked by banditry, terrorism, farmer-herder conflicts and kidnappings, posed a grave threat not only to the region but also to Nigeria’s overall stability and prosperity.
Fielding questions from journalists, Umar attributed the deepening insecurity to weak prosecution of criminal elements, poor governance and failure to effectively implement key social policies, particularly in the education sector.
Umar lamented what he described as a culture of impunity, noting that reports of past commissions of inquiry were rarely followed by prosecutions.
This was just as he also criticised the payment of ransom to kidnappers, saying that such practice reinforces inequality and incentivises criminality.
Speaking further, Umar further blamed the poor implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) policy for the growing number of out-of-school children, many of whom, he said, were easily recruited by extremist and criminal groups operating in the region.
Umar said political interference, historical injustices and selective remembrance of national leaders had also continued to fuel discontent in the North, stressing the need for inclusive dialogue and recognition of shared sacrifices in nation-building.
Earlier, RAID’s Secretary, Comrade Kabiru Duhu, renewed calls for Northern Nigeria to emulate the leadership philosophy of Sir Ahmadu Bello, describing his legacies as critical to addressing insecurity, poverty and weak institutions.
Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria from 1954 until his assassination in 1966, was widely regarded as a visionary statesman, who prioritised education, unity, institutional development and moral leadership.
Duhu recalled that the Sardauna’s administration established landmark institutions, including Ahmadu Bello University, alongside teachers’ colleges, scholarship schemes and agricultural initiatives that drove economic growth and social cohesion in the region, noting that the Sardauna’s inclusive governance style, personal integrity and long-term planning remained relevant today.
Other speakers at the briefing stressed that restoring ethical leadership, rebuilding strong institutions, investing in education and youth empowerment, and promoting unity over division are essential for the North’s peace and development, concluding that Northern Nigeria’s path to stability and prosperity lies in consciously adapting the principles and values exemplified by Sir Ahmadu Bello.
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