In the 2023 general election, President Tinubu secured a total of 8,794,768 votes and was declared the winner, with a significant portion of these votes originating from northern Nigeria, totaling 5.4 million votes.
However, in a conversation with Guardian News on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum, Abdul Azeez Sulieman, expressed regret over their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He asserted that voting for President Tinubu had been a mistake, and the North had learned a bitter lesson from it. Going forward, the region is committed to prioritizing unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in the country.
Sulieman attributed the rising insecurity in the country to President Tinubu’s perceived incompetence and failure to protect Nigerian citizens within just a few months into his tenure.
When asked about Peter Obi’s visits and donations to northern communities, Sulieman remarked that the North had acknowledged their mistake in electing President Tinubu in 2023 and was unlikely to repeat it in the future. They have learned from their past errors and are determined to choose a candidate capable of uniting the nation and governing in the best interest of all Nigerians.
He emphasized that moving forward, the North would exercise greater caution in selecting a presidential candidate, prioritizing someone who is perceived as more inclusive, non-controversial, and aligned with the interests of all regions. The mistake of supporting President Tinubu had underscored the importance of unity and consensus in the selection process for the highest office in the land.
