Katsina State – Senator Shehu Sani has alleged that recent visits by prominent northern politicians to former President Muhammadu Buhari was strategic moves designed to undermine President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Over the past few weeks, several notable figures from the north have made their way to Buhari’s hometown in Daura, Katsina State. Among these visitors were former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who visited on June 22. Just 24 hours later, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai also made the journey to see the former president.
In a statement released on Monday, Sani expressed skepticism about the nature of these visits, which have been publicly described as “Sallah homage.” According to Sani, the visits carry a deeper political significance.
“The recent visits by some prominent Northern politicians to Daura appear to be the usual Eid homage, but looking deeper and beyond the facade, it’s surreptitiously a new attempt to build a strong northern alliance using ex-President Buhari as a rallying point to challenge and evict President Tinubu’s government in 2027,” the statement reads.
Sani described the efforts as a regrouping of northern political forces with the aim of leveraging Buhari’s political influence and support base to create a powerful alliance. He criticized this strategy, calling it a futile effort that would not succeed.
“They want to resurrect Buhari’s political charm and fanaticism and mobilize the gullible to another hollow and bewildering end,” Sani said. “They want to stock up and light up the Arewa sentiment without considering the inferno it would eventually generate.”
He further argued that Buhari’s eight-year presidency had not yielded significant positive outcomes for the nation, questioning the motivations behind the renewed push for northern political dominance.
“They had power and wasted it. What do they want to do with it again?” Sani queried.
The former senator warned that such political maneuvers could destabilize the country and threaten its fragile unity. He emphasized that while criticism of Tinubu’s policies is a democratic right, exploiting regional sentiments for political gain is dangerous.
“No serious southerner challenged Buhari for eight years. These power-drunk Northern politicians are dragging the region to a new political journey through a land mine,” Sani asserted.
He called on northern citizens to reject these political moves, pointing out the failures of previous northern-led projects such as the Baro Port, Ajaokuta Steel Mill, Lake Chad Basin refilling, and Mambilla Hydropower project.
“The Daura homage of the disgruntled and the obsessed will fail. Our people in the North should reject these faces and their plots. They have nothing to offer,” Sani concluded.
The statement has sparked widespread debate and highlights the intensifying political landscape as Nigeria approaches the next general election cycle.