Former Sokoto State governor and Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has declared that the campaign to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is a collective national mission, not a Northern agenda.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday night, Tambuwal also threw his weight behind Tinubu’s call for the creation of state police, insisting it is critical to ending Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
“I am no longer a governor but I support state police. Yes, we have federal police, but part of the problem is that when you post someone from Sokoto to Enugu, he doesn’t understand the terrain or the language. In any case, we need more boots on the ground in the police and the army,” he said.
Tambuwal stressed that the success of state policing depends on more manpower, better welfare, and modern equipment for security personnel.
“We need to recruit more hands. Their welfare and remuneration are also key. When a personnel gets killed in the field, what happens to their families? This welfare should go beyond the personnel alone,” he added.
The senator painted a bleak picture of the situation in Sokoto, lamenting that terrorists have practically overrun communities.
“They have almost taken over every local government in Sokoto South and Sokoto East. The situation is getting worse. As I speak with you, Shagari Local Government has been evacuated — the villagers have fled and the terrorists are in charge. The same thing is happening in Tureta, Bodinga and other areas,” he said.
He called for a coordinated military offensive, noting that bandits often retreat into Sokoto when pressured in Zamfara.
On allegations that bandits are being paid by the government, Tambuwal denied any knowledge.
“I am not aware. I do not know. I cannot claim to know that bandits are being paid by anyone,” he said, responding to claims by former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives urged opposition unity ahead of 2027, warning that Tinubu would be difficult to defeat if Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Goodluck Jonathan, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso contest separately.
“While I am 100 percent committed to the legitimate activities of the anti-Tinubu coalition to prevent his reelection, I remain a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and would hope that the PDP and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) work together as a coalition to defeat Tinubu. The battle to send Tinubu packing in 2027 is a national consensus, not a Northern conspiracy,” he declared.
