Tinubu Stood With Buhari Till The End, North Should Do Same For Him — Yari Urges Northerners To Repay Tinubu With Votes

Director-General of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, has said President Bola Tinubu stood with former President Muhammadu Buhari till the end and refused to contest against him in 2019, therefore the North should do same for him in 2027.

Yari said it is now payback time for the North to repay Tinubu with votes for allowing the region to complete its full term in office, insisting the North has no excuse not to support Tinubu’s re-election.

He made the call on Monday when he led members of the campaign council to the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, as part of the council’s engagement with traditional rulers ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The former Zamfara State governor recalled that some politicians within the APC had attempted to persuade Tinubu to challenge Buhari in 2019, but Tinubu rejected the pressure.

“Tinubu said as long as Buhari can come out and ask people to vote for him, he would be with Buhari till the end. And that was what Tinubu truly did,” Yari said.

“For us in the north, I think it is time for us to pay Tinubu back for allowing the north to complete its full term,” he added.

Yari said the North therefore had no justification for withholding its support for Tinubu in 2027, urging political stakeholders in the region to back the President for a second term.

“Today, I don’t think there is an excuse for us from the northern region not to support Tinubu to continue the good job he started and complete his tenure,” he said.

He assured Tinubu of continued backing from northern political leaders, saying those committed to justice and fairness would work to ensure the President’s re-election.

“The message from northern Nigeria, where I came from, is that there is nothing to worry about. There are still people of high calibre and character who believe in justice and fairness. We are going to do our best to ensure that Tinubu’s journey continues to the end. He can count on us,” Yari said.

Yari also defended the Tinubu administration, arguing that the campaign council was seeking a second term for the President not simply because of power rotation but because it believed his administration had begun restructuring the country after inheriting a difficult situation.

Earlier, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu received the campaign council delegation before accompanying its members to the Oba’s palace. Sanwo-Olu said the council’s engagement with traditional rulers reflected the importance of traditional institutions in promoting peace, unity and national development.