A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and South-East leader, Tinubu Support Organization, George Agbakahi, has come hard on former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido over his claim that the North will not vote for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
DAILY POST recalls that Lamido was quoted as saying that “no right-thinking northerner”
Speaking at a PDP caucus meeting in Dutse, the former governor further claimed that the APC-led government was dragging Nigeria “deeper into poverty and hopelessness.”
But reacting, Agbakahi, who is also a member, APC 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, media and publicity directorate, said such sweeping, reckless remarks, coming from an elder statesman were preposterous and deeply disappointing.
In a statement he made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday, the APC chieftain said Lamido’s claims “not only do they fly in the face of facts, but they also insult the intelligence and patriotism of millions of Nigerians, particularly Northerners, who have benefitted directly from President Tinubu’s bold, inclusive and performance-driven leadership.”
He described the former governor’s claim as “a familiar pattern of political frustration.”
According to him, “Lamido’s tirade follows a familiar pattern by several selfish, self centered and frustrated opposition politicians, unable to connect with the grassroots or explain their party’s past failings, resorting to empty rhetoric and divisive propaganda.
“But Nigerians are wiser now. The North, in particular, is not deceived. They know when a government is working, regardless of the challenges.”
Contrary to Lamido’s baseless allegations, Agbakahi said the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda had delivered tangible transformation in infrastructure, security, agriculture, economic recovery, and education to mention but few, especially in Northern Nigeria.
He chronicled some of the achievements of the Tinubu administration, which also factored the North, to include the Kaduna Power Plant, abandoned for decades, key federal highways like the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road, Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, and Kano–Maiduguri Expressway, all undergoing reconstruction, connecting economic hubs and reducing travel time.
He said further that the administration was investing in Kano – Kaduna and Kano – Maradi light rail projects, projected to create over 250,000 jobs in construction, transport, and maintenance sectors, among others.
On the state of the economy, he stated that Nigeria’s economy was in a perilous state in May 2023 when President Tinubu assumed office which is partly attributed to the bad governance and economic Mismanagement of the16 years of failed PDP administrations.
“Inflation under President Tinubu has reduced considerably to below 22% and fiscal deficits are widening. Revenue has increased exponentially.
“Through a combination of fuel subsidy removal, FX rate unification, and enhanced revenue strategies, the administration has reduced headline inflation to 21.30% in July 2025, boosted federal revenue collections, with the FIRS posting N21.6 trillion in 2024, nearly double the N11.5 trillion recorded in 2023 and expanded foreign reserves from $34.9 billion to $40.9 billion, supported by strong non-oil exports and trade surpluses.
He also observed that the current administration had disbursed N9.58 trillion via FAAC to states in 2024, up from N3.2 trillion in 2023—allowing 33 states to clear N1.85 trillion in debt and carry out massive and incredible infrastructural development.
“States are conveniently paying the new minimum wage of 75,000 and some are even paying more, the latest being the Imo state governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma who recently increased the state minimum wage to 104,000 Naira monthly.
“Nigeria Customs service for the first time in history generated 6.1 trillion in 2024 as opposed to 2.60 trillion in 2022.
“NPA generated 894.86 billion in 2024 as opposed to 361 billion Naira in 2022 whereas NIMASA generated 67 billion Naira in 2024 compared to 42.3 billion in 2023.
“The mining sector, a hitherto forgotten area generated 38 billion Naira in 2024 as opposed to mere 6 billion Naira in 2023 with 800 million dollars in foreign direct investment since President Tinubu came on board.
“This is not ‘hopelessness’ Sule Lamido,” Agbakahi declared, describing it as disciplined recovery.
He further stated that on the issue of security, Lamido also ignored the dramatic gains in national security.
According to him, Lamido forgot the fact that during the PDP administrations in 2013, Boko haram held on to 15 local government areas in the North East, specifically in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
“It’s on record that the APC administration of President Buhari was the one that extricated the Boko haram terrorists from these 15 LGAs in the North East.
“It is also significant to note that the terrorist kingpin that masterminded various terrorist sleeper cells in the North in the past decades such as Abu Baraa and Mahmoud Al-Nigeri were captured by the Nigerian security forces under the APC administration of President Tinubu,” he said, while noting that under President Tinubu’s watch “monthly terror-related deaths fell by over 90%, from 2,600+ in early 2023 to fewer than 200 by late 2024.”
He said within the same period, over 13,000 terrorists were neutralized, and 124,000 combatants surrendered during aggressive counterinsurgency operations.
“The North is safer, more stable, and gradually regaining confidence, Sule Lamido,” Agbakahi argued.
He went on to state that under agricultural Transformation, the government had recognized that the North is Nigeria’s agricultural heartland.
He said in that direction, Tinubu had launched a $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme across nine northern states, with support from multilateral partners.
“Revitalized livestock development via a dedicated Ministry of Livestock, aiming to address farmer–herder conflict.
“Facilitated the cultivation of 10,000 hectares of farmland for displaced people and supported millions of farmers through subsidized inputs and loans,” including financing of 5 million farmers, over 70% from northern Nigeria.
While further puncturing Lamido’s stance, the APC chieftain identified the establishment of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children with 101 almajiri centers and 120 learning hubs launched nationwide, as part of the government’s education agenda.
He did not leave out the Student Loan Scheme (NELFUND), observing that over 275,000 northern students out of 400,000 beneficiaries nationally have received loans, amounting to N45 billion (55%) out of N77 billion disbursed so far (Business Day, August 2025).
Agbakahi added that nationally, out-of-school children dropped from 10.5 million to under 9 million, while university enrollment rose from 8% to nearly 13% in two years.
He said considering these indices, “Sule Lamido may speak for his own frustration, but not for the enlightened people of Northern Nigeria.
“The records show that this administration is not marginalizing the North, or any region, but rather mobilizing it.
“Farmers in Katsina are exporting produce across Nigeria. Students in Sokoto are receiving loans and returning to school.
“The Kaduna power plant is progressing on track. Light rail is coming to Kano. Security is returning to Borno. That is progress. That is leadership.”
“President Tinubu may not have achieved everything expected by Nigerians; no one can within two years, but he has governed with vision, discipline, and fairness.
“Sule Lamido’s divisive comments cannot rewrite facts or erase achievements. The 2027 elections will be based on performance, not propaganda.
“And by every measurable indicator, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is building a stronger, safer, smarter, and more united Nigeria.
“It is both disingenuous and uncritical for Sule Lamido to generalize that the entire North will not vote for President Tinubu in 2027. No ethnic or regional voting bloc in Nigeria is monolithic.
“Electoral behavior is influenced by a complex mix of local dynamics, party structures, candidate appeal, and socio-political realities unique to each state.
“Even within Lamido’s so-called ‘North,’ voting patterns have always varied. In the 1979 general elections during the Second Republic, for instance, Plateau State supported the NPP, Sokoto State voted for the NPN, while Kano State embraced the PRP.
“These divergences reflect the independent political consciousness across northern states.
“The current democratic dispensation further underscores this diversity.
“Today, Sokoto and Zamfara are controlled by the PDP, Kano is governed by the NNPP, while Kaduna, Kebbi, Benue, and Niger States are led by the APC.
“These distinctions clearly show that Northern Nigeria cannot be politically herded into a single narrative or controlled by the sentiments of any one politician.
“It was only President Buhari of blessed memory in Nigerian history who had that organic-like following in Northern Nigeria getting 12 million votes each time he ran for the presidency.
He said Lamido is not President Buhari and “you don’t have the cult-like followership even in Jigawa State, how much more in Northern Nigeria.
“Lamido’s sweeping assertion is not only historically inaccurate but also a gross underestimation of the North’s political sophistication and evolving democratic maturity.
“Let us continue to place facts over fiction and nation above party,” he concluded.
