Former Borno State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Ali Modu Sheriff, has said Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not win the support of Northern voters in the 2027 presidential election.
Sheriff made the remarks on Monday during an interview on Channels Television where he defended President Bola Tinubu’s handling of insecurity and expressed confidence that the President would win a second term in office.
Sheriff rejected suggestions that Obi could improve on his performance in the 2023 presidential election Insisting that, the political landscape in the North had changed.
“I am not worried about Peter Obi because I know Northerners will never vote for him,” Sheriff said.
Obi finished third in the 2023 presidential election with more than six million votes nationwide. He also secured victories in some North-Central states, including Plateau and Nasarawa. Those results encouraged many of his supporters to believe he could perform better in 2027.
However, Sheriff argued that the situation had changed since the last election.
He alleged that Obi’s time as governor of Anambra State created negative perceptions among many Northerners.
“When Peter Obi was governor, he chased Northerners out of Anambra State,” Sheriff alleged.
However, he did not provide evidence to support the claim during the interview.
Sheriff also questioned the prospects of a political alliance between Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
He claimed that many of Kwankwaso’s supporters in Kano opposed any coalition involving Obi.
“This is what people in Kano are telling Kwankwaso now,” Sheriff said.
“They say they have always supported him and will continue to do so if he contests for president. However, they will not support him if he aligns with Peter Obi.”
Sheriff defended President Tinubu against criticism from opposition figures, especially Obi, who has repeatedly accused the administration of failing to tackle insecurity effectively.
Obi has argued that the Federal Government has not done enough to protect lives and property. He has also suggested that President Tinubu should step aside if he cannot guarantee Nigerians’ safety.
Responding to those criticisms, Sheriff said insecurity did not begin under the current administration. He argued that people should judge the President by the steps his government had taken to address the problem.
“We should not simply condemn the President because there is insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.
Sheriff pointed to the administration’s push for state policing as a key reform. He said the policy could strengthen Nigeria’s security structure and help state governments respond more effectively to local threats.
Sheriff also dismissed the chances of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He argued that Nigeria’s long-standing informal power-sharing arrangement meant the presidency should remain in the South until 2031. He said this should follow former President Muhammadu Buhari’s completion of two terms in office.
“After the civil war, our leaders agreed that Nigeria should not continue on the old path. There is an understanding about regional balance,” Sheriff said.
“For Atiku, this is not the North’s turn. He is a respected leader and eminently qualified, but he has to wait until 2031. President Buhari completed eight years in office, so it is now the South’s turn.”
Sheriff expressed confidence that President Tinubu would secure re-election in 2027 adding that the APC would not take victory for granted. Instead, the party would continue to engage Nigerians and campaign actively ahead of the next general election.
