Tambuwal: Unseating Tinubu in 2027 Is National Consensus, Not Northern Conspiracy

Former Sokoto State governor and Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s push for the creation of state police, describing it as a vital step to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday night, Tambuwal painted a grim picture of the security situation in Sokoto State, especially in his senatorial district.

“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.

He stressed that state policing must be matched with mass recruitment, better welfare and modern equipment for security forces.
“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.

Tambuwal’s position aligns with Tinubu’s renewed advocacy for constitutional reforms that would empower states to set up their own police services amid surging insecurity nationwide.

On banditry and insecurity
Tambuwal denied claims that the federal government or any officials are paying off bandits. Responding to allegations by former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai that the Tinubu administration was secretly funding armed groups, he said:
“I am not aware. I do not know. I cannot claim to know that bandits are being paid by anyone.”

He lamented that bandits have virtually taken over Sokoto South and Sokoto East.
“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.

Tambuwal urged for a coordinated military offensive, noting that armed groups often retreat from Zamfara into Sokoto when under pressure.

On 2027 politics
While pledging loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tambuwal reaffirmed his support for the anti-Tinubu coalition, insisting that efforts to unseat the president in 2027 were driven by national consensus, not regional politics.

“I am 100 percent committed to the legitimate activities of the anti-Tinubu coalition to prevent his reelection,” he said, adding that he hopes the PDP and African Democratic Congress (ADC) will work together.

He warned that Tinubu would be difficult to defeat if leading figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Goodluck Jonathan, Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso contest separately rather than unite behind a single candidate.

“It is not a Northern conspiracy. It is about building a national consensus. If Atiku, Obi, Jonathan, Amaechi and Kwankwaso go individually, it will be very hard to unseat Tinubu,” he stressed.