The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), northern Nigeria’s premier socio-cultural organization, has firmly decided against endorsing any candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
Instead, the group plans to conduct rigorous interviews with aspirants to evaluate their strategies for tackling insecurity, poverty, education deficits, and economic challenges in the North.
This non-partisan approach underscores the forum’s commitment to regional interests over political affiliations.
ACF’s Strategic Shift to Candidate Vetting
Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, ACF National Publicity Secretary, announced the decision during an interview with Leadership newspaper in Kaduna.
He emphasized that the forum would engage presidential hopefuls over the next six months, scrutinizing their plans for northern Nigeria’s development.
This mirrors the ACF’s 2023 election strategy, where it hosted interactive sessions rather than direct endorsements.
Muhammad-Baba stressed the organization’s diversity: “We are not going to endorse any presidential candidate or political party in the 2027 elections.
Our organisation is diverse. We can only endorse plans and ideas that align with northern interests.
We are not partisan.” The forum intends to produce a comprehensive position paper outlining northern priorities, which it will present to the eventual winner.
Preparations for these consultations and the document will conclude before June 2026, ahead of presidential primaries expected around that time.
This policy reflects lessons from past elections.
In 2023, the ACF invited major candidates: Peter Obi and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended, while Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso declined.
The forum notably endorsed Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 but stayed neutral in 2015 and 2023, prioritizing unity amid diverse memberships across parties.
Historical Context and Northern Unity
Northern Nigeria grapples with profound challenges that shape the ACF’s stance.
Insecurity from banditry, Boko Haram, and farmer-herder clashes has displaced millions and stifled agriculture, a regional backbone.
Poverty rates exceed 70% in several northern states, per National Bureau of Statistics data, with education lagging, female literacy hovers below 30% in some areas.
Economic empowerment remains elusive, as youth unemployment fuels unrest.
The ACF’s non-endorsement tradition preserves internal cohesion.
Former Secretary-General Anthony Sani explained: “The North is united on regional interests, but not on partisan politics.
Endorsing a candidate would fracture the unity of the forum.”
Sani highlighted the forum’s cross-party composition, from APC to PDP supporters, making endorsements divisive.
Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, ACF Board of Trustees Chairman, reinforced this: “Northern Nigeria will remain faithful not to politicians or parties, but to those willing to promote and protect its interests.”
Dalhatu urged candidates to prove commitment through actionable plans, signaling that northern votes hinge on substance over loyalty.
Potential 2027 contenders include President Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, and Adewole Adebayo.
The election, set for the first Saturday in February 2027, follows primaries in June 2026.
The ACF’s interviews could influence voter sentiment in the North, which holds about 40% of Nigeria’s voting population.
Broader Political Implications
This decision reshapes northern political dynamics ahead of 2027.
By focusing on issues like insecurity, claiming over 10,000 lives yearly, and education, where 20 million northern children are out-of-school, the ACF elevates policy over personality.
Economic empowerment proposals must address diversification beyond oil, boosting agriculture, solid minerals, and tech hubs in Kano and Kaduna.
The forum’s position paper will likely demand federal investments: enhanced security funding, almajiri system reforms, and infrastructure like rail links from Lagos to the North.
It may critique current policies, such as fuel subsidy removal’s disproportionate northern impact, pushing for palliatives like fertilizer subsidies.
Politically, neutrality pressures candidates.
Tinubu’s attendance in 2023 positions him favorably, but Atiku and Kwankwaso must engage to counter perceptions of aloofness.
Obi’s participation signals southern outreach potential, while Amaechi’s infrastructure record appeals to development-focused northerners.
Regional Challenges Demanding Action
ACF interviews will probe kinetic and non-kinetic strategies: community policing, deradicalization, and economic incentives.
Poverty alleviation requires job creation.
Youth bulges, over 70% under 30, fuel restiveness.
Proposals for agro-industrial zones, skills training, and SME loans will face scrutiny.
Education reforms target Qur’anic schools integration and girl-child enrollment, vital for human capital.
Economic empowerment ties to diversification.
The North produces 90% of Nigeria’s groundnuts, cotton, and sorghum but imports rice.
Candidates must champion value chains, irrigation, and export incentives to rival southern commerce.
National Unity and 2027 Stakes
ACF’s approach fosters national dialogue. By interviewing all viable candidates, it promotes accountability beyond ethnicity.
Southern groups like Ohanaeze Ndigbo or Afenifere may adopt similar vetting, creating a merit-based contest.
For northern governors and elites, unity means leveraging ACF leverage.
Past fractures, 2015 PDP-APC splits, cost the region influence.
Consolidated demands could secure power rotation or resource allocations.
Critics may decry ACF as elitist, sidelining grassroots voices.
Yet, its 2019 Buhari endorsement delivered northern-focused budgets.
Success hinges on transparency in interviews and paper dissemination via media and town halls.
A Blueprint for Engaged Neutrality
The ACF’s 2027 strategy marks evolved leadership: endorsing ideas, not individuals.
This safeguards unity while amplifying northern voices amid Nigeria’s fragile federation.
Candidates ignoring this risk alienation; engaging ones gain legitimacy.
As 2026 unfolds, ACF consultations will spotlight plans rescuing the North from despair.
Interviews become proving grounds, where rhetoric meets reality.
Northern fidelity awaits those prioritizing people over partisanship, charting Nigeria’s next chapter.
