2027: Northern Lecturers Back Tinubu, ASUU Disowns Endorsement

2027: Northern Lecturers Back Tinubu, ASUU Disowns Endorsement

More than 600 senior academics from public universities across Northern Nigeria have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, triggering an immediate reaction from the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

The lecturers announced their support at a stakeholders’ engagement convened by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, in Kaduna State.

The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Centre, brought together senior academics and political leaders to assess the performance of the Tinubu administration and discuss the political road to 2027.

The gathering was attended by several prominent political figures, including Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal; Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum; and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya.

Also present were the Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle; Minister of Housing, Muttaqha Rabe Darma; and former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari.

Although journalists were initially barred from the meeting, they were later allowed to witness the presentation of the communiqué issued at the end of the deliberations.

Lecturers declare support for Tinubu

Reading the communiqué, the Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Prof Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, said the academics had critically examined the performance of the Tinubu administration since its assumption of office in May 2023.

They assessed the economy, security, education, infrastructure and social conditions, with particular attention to the challenges confronting Northern Nigeria.

According to the academics, Tinubu inherited an economy suffering from fiscal, monetary and structural challenges, alongside insecurity, infrastructure deficits and gaps in human capital development.

They also acknowledged that some of the Federal Government’s economic reforms had imposed significant hardship on Nigerians through increased living and transportation costs and inflationary pressures.

However, they argued that the reforms had also improved government revenue and public finance.

The academics listed education financing, agriculture, infrastructure, business support, compressed natural gas, investment and the digital economy among areas where they believed the administration had recorded progress.

After their deliberations, the lecturers declared their support for Tinubu’s re-election.

“We resolved to express our support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in the 2027 presidential election,” they stated.

‘Our support is not a blank cheque’

Despite endorsing the President, the academics warned that their support should not be interpreted as unconditional.

The lecturers urged the Federal Government to listen to Nigerians, respond to legitimate criticism and urgently address the rising cost of food and transportation, unemployment and insecurity.

“Our support should not be interpreted as a blank check,” they said.

They also called for a more comprehensive approach to tackling insecurity, combining military operations with intelligence gathering, effective policing, community engagement and the creation of economic opportunities.

The academics further demanded increased government investment in agriculture, education, healthcare, roads, electricity, irrigation and other critical infrastructure across Northern Nigeria.

ASUU distances itself

But the endorsement quickly ran into opposition from ASUU, which distanced itself from the declaration and reaffirmed its long-standing position as an apolitical union.

ASUU President, Prof Chris Piwuna, said individual members of the union were free to belong to political parties and participate in politics in their personal capacities, but stressed that such activities must not be presented as the position of ASUU.

Piwuna maintained that the union had never endorsed a political party or presidential candidate and would not do so.

He warned members against dragging the union into the controversy, insisting that ASUU remained committed to its apolitical status.

The ASUU president also described it as misleading to automatically associate political activities undertaken by lecturers, vice-chancellors or other academics with the union.

According to him, individual academics can exercise their constitutional rights, but ASUU cannot be presented as having endorsed any candidate.

‘The meeting was for mobilisation’

The controversy has been heightened by the stated objective of the Kaduna meeting.

An invitation letter for the event described it as an interactive session involving senior academics from Northern Nigeria and selected government officials.

The theme was “Consolidating the Renewed Hope Agenda: Three Years of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Achievements and the Road to 2027.”

The letter said the meeting was designed not only to assess the administration’s performance in the economy, security, education, infrastructure and social welfare, but also to secure the endorsement and active support of academics for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

It reportedly stated that the purpose of the gathering was “not open-ended debate but mobilisation.”

Attendance was said to be voluntary, with the organisers encouraging academics who were favourably disposed towards the objective of the gathering to participate.

Reports also indicated that logistics and transportation arrangements were made for participants, although claims about reimbursement and the amount allegedly received by individual participants could not be independently verified.

Northern universities represented

Sources at the meeting said most public universities across the 19 northern states were represented.

Academics from the three northern geopolitical zones were reportedly given opportunities to address the gathering.

Prof Musa spoke on behalf of academics from the North-West, while the Chief Librarian of the Federal University Lafia, Prof Abdulrazaq Baba Abdulrahman, represented the North-Central zone.

A representative of the Federal College of Agriculture, Gwoza, spoke for the North-East.

Professor Mohammed Umar Sanda of the Federal University Dutsinma was also said to have attended.

However, Prof Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi of Bayero University, Kano, whose name was mentioned as one of those present, reportedly denied attending the meeting, saying he was not even aware of the gathering.

Masari urges academics to join politics

Speaking at the event, Masari urged academics to become more involved in determining the country’s political direction rather than remaining on the sidelines and merely criticising government policies.

He argued that the Tinubu administration’s achievements in the education sector should encourage academics to participate actively in the political process.

The engagement is part of wider political consultations as the Tinubu camp intensifies efforts to consolidate support ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The latest development also comes amid a series of endorsements and political consultations involving groups across the country.

2027 battle gathers momentum

With the 2027 presidential election drawing closer, political activities are increasingly taking centre stage, with the Tinubu camp targeting influential groups and constituencies for support.

The Northern lecturers’ endorsement is therefore likely to generate further political debate, particularly because of the high-profile academic figures reportedly involved and ASUU’s swift rejection of any attempt to associate the union with the declaration.

While the academics say their endorsement followed an assessment of Tinubu’s performance, ASUU’s position makes it clear that the declaration cannot be treated as an endorsement by the union itself.

The development has opened yet another front in the emerging 2027 political battle, with Tinubu’s supporters pushing for continuity and opponents expected to scrutinise both the administration’s record and the growing campaign for his second term.