Former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, has declared that he will vote for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election if the President succeeds in restoring peace to Sokoto and other parts of Northern Nigeria.
Bafarawa said his support would depend on Tinubu taking decisive action to end insecurity and allow residents to resume their normal lives, insisting that his priority was peace, not campaign money.
Speaking with FRI, an online Hausa medium, the former governor said Tinubu had the resources and security apparatus to tackle insecurity within a short period.
“My only condition for allowing my vote to go to President Tinubu is for him to ensure peace and allow full normalcy to return to my area and other Northern parts,” he said.
Bafarawa argued that the President could significantly change the security situation within three months, or even one month, if he deployed the necessary resources and political will.
“As a leader who has power, money and security, three months or even one month is enough for him to change the insecurity narrative in the Northern region,” he said.
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The former governor said he was not seeking financial inducements ahead of the election but wanted the government to create conditions that would allow economic and social activities to resume in communities affected by insecurity.
“What I want is for President Tinubu to do everything he can to ensure peace and allow markets, schools, farming and other livelihood activities to return to our communities. I assure him that I will vote for him,” he said.
Bafarawa lamented that insecurity had disrupted education, farming and other essential activities across parts of the North, leaving some communities deserted.
He questioned the consequences of denying children access to education, arguing that the inability of farmers to access their fields and the displacement of residents had worsened the situation.
“But it is unacceptable that today, our children cannot go to school. Don’t anybody who denies you education deny you life? Villagers cannot go to farms, and so many towns have been completely sacked. That is why, at this juncture, if Tinubu ensures peace, he is simply my candidate,” he said.
Despite expressing willingness to vote for Tinubu, Bafarawa disclosed that he was not a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He also claimed that he had met Tinubu only once since he became President, during an encounter at a mosque.
According to him, someone Tinubu had asked to facilitate his meeting with the President later failed to do so and blocked his phone numbers.
Bafarawa maintained that his decision at the polls would be determined by whoever could restore security to the North, regardless of party affiliation.
The former governor also defended the appointment of former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General of Tinubu’s re-election campaign, despite continued bandit attacks in Zamfara.
Bafarawa said Yari, as an APC member, was expected to respect the party’s decision and could hardly turn down an appointment from the President.
“I don’t see anything wrong with Abdulaziz Yari accepting to be DG of the campaign for President Tinubu because he is doing a job he has been appointed to do. And don’t forget, it would be disrespectful for him to say no,” he said.
He added that Yari had consulted several people before accepting the appointment and sought further advice afterwards, describing the move as a reflection of his integrity.
