Professor Femi Otubanjo, Director of Research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu is facing a united rejection from northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing such narratives as misleading and overly simplistic.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News Political Analysis programme on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Otubanjo argued that the North should not be viewed as a single political bloc, stressing that the region is made up of different political interests and voting patterns.
According to him, many of those predicting Tinubu’s rejection in the North lack a proper understanding of the country’s electoral realities. He stated that Nigeria’s political landscape is becoming increasingly shaped by sub-regional alliances rather than broad assumptions about geopolitical zones.
“All those people who talk about the North rejecting Tinubu have never won anything themselves. There is not just one North,” Otubanjo said during the interview.
He further explained that different parts of the North are likely to respond differently during the 2027 elections. Otubanjo maintained that President Tinubu remains politically strong in parts of the region, particularly in the North-Central, where he predicted a comfortable victory for the president.
He also noted that Tinubu would remain competitive in the North-East, adding that the current political dynamics still favour the president despite growing opposition activities and coalition discussions ahead of the polls.
Otubanjo’s comments come at a time when political debates over regional support, alliances, and voting calculations are intensifying across the country as parties and political figures begin positioning for the next presidential election…See More
