I’ll campaign for Tinubu if he ends insecurity – Bafarawa

Former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa has said he will personally campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election if his administration addresses insecurity in northern Nigeria before the 2027 general elections.

Bafarawa, who governed Sokoto State from 1999 to 2007, stated this in an interview with RFI Hausa, saying his support for Tinubu would depend on the restoration of peace that would enable farmers to return to their farms without fear of attacks.

“From now until the election, I can personally campaign for Tinubu for one reason: if he addresses the insecurity troubling our people, by God, I will vote for him,” he said.

The former governor said Tinubu still had an opportunity to address the security crisis in the remaining months before the election, adding that he would support the president’s campaign if peace was restored.

He said the people of the North were more concerned about their safety and livelihoods than campaign spending, arguing that money earmarked for political campaigns would be better spent addressing banditry and its consequences.

According to him, residents should be able to go to their farms, earn a living and meet their basic needs, even if public funds were being stolen by those in government.

Bafarawa expressed concern over the number of children in the North who were out of school, both in conventional and Islamic education, warning that the region’s future would remain threatened if young people continued to be denied access to learning.

“Whoever defeats you through education has defeated you in everything. How can I support someone who cannot help our people get relief from their suffering?” he asked.

He urged Nigerians not to conclude prematurely that Tinubu would lose the election, saying the president should be assessed based on what he could achieve in the remaining months.

Bafarawa said he was ready to lead a campaign team for Tinubu if the security situation improved, stressing that he would support any leader capable of bringing peace to the people.

He also criticised northern political leaders for failing to unite around a common strategy to address insecurity, saying the region had contributed to its own predicament by allowing divisions to undermine collective action.

“We have brought this problem upon ourselves because we have refused to come together sincerely and rescue ourselves. There is no way we can get relief without unity,” he said.

On the appointment of Senator Abdulaziz Yari as director-general of Tinubu’s campaign, Bafarawa said he did not fault the former Zamfara governor for accepting the position.

He described the assignment as national service, saying Yari, as a Nigerian, an elected senator and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had the right to accept the responsibility.

However, Bafarawa stressed that the appointment did not guarantee Tinubu’s victory or otherwise, adding that Yari was expected to do his best in carrying out the assignment.

He said he was among the northern elders who supported Yari’s appointment, recalling that the senator had consulted prominent northern leaders before and after securing the position and sought their prayers and advice.

According to Bafarawa, none of the elders he consulted advised Yari against accepting the appointment; instead, they prayed for his success.(Daily trust)