ACF lacks moral authority to stop Tinubu’s 2027 re-election- Hassan, APC chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Alwan Hassan, has dismissed the claim by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and allied groups that they can stop President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, Hassan said the President’s performance so far is enough to guarantee his return to office. He described the coalition of opposition groups as a set of hungry people who do not mean well for the nation. David Lawani monitored the Interview

Is there a wedge between you and the ACF?

No. This group of people are in opposition. We battled and tackled them under the late President Buhari, and we will still do it this time. They are not for the North, and that is what I want to make clear.

But they are the elders of the North?

They are not. We have only six years of elders in the North, and those are the likes of Sardauna. They are not our elders.

Even Bashir Dahaltu?

They are not speaking for the North.

Arewa Consultative Forum?

Yes. And I will take you through and give you the reason why. Infrastructure is not the problem of the North. We don’t need the presence of the Federal Government in the North. What we need in Northern Nigeria is peace and unity. An Ijaw man cannot be given a position in Benue State. A Muslim in Plateau State can’t be a Speaker in the State House of Assembly. A Christian minority cannot be a governor. A citizen of Kwara State cannot be governor in Bayelsa State. Religion and tribes are not our problem; let them unite us. We have 422 local governments, each of which has potential. We own fertile lands in Nigeria. Go from Abuja to Borno State and see for yourself. When you travel and come down, you will see the country’s landscape; that is when you start descending. We have large expanses of land, but people cannot go to the farms. Christians are killing Muslims, and Muslims are killing Christians. I don’t want this, Muslims being this, this is Ibibio, this is Birom. This is the problem in Northern Nigeria, and it was caused by them.

So you are one of those who say leadership is a significant problem in the North?

The group that is supposed to be leaders are political. These are Atiku’s people.

The ACF?

Absolutely.

Is that right for you to say that?

I have seen them. We know the people telling them what to say. Many aggrieved individuals within the APC have joined the ACF. I will tell you it has its political angle. They are not for Northern Nigeria. If they are for Northern Nigeria, have they met with the President? Let them tell us how many governors they met during the campaigns. How have the governors responded? Let them inform the public about what they discussed. Have they met any governor? They have been very unfair to the government. They tripled the money they collected from the subsidy removal, and the President has been very transparent when dealing with them. Some of the governors are doing well, but others have stolen money. Any northerner who can come out and say there is no progress in the North should ask his governor why there is no development. They have been collecting vast amounts of money from the Federation Account. And ACF is only writing to the government. The items they wrote about —education and health —are usually the responsibility of the states. States are supposed to be held responsible.

They said the President is not fulfilling the promise he made to them.

Who made the promise to them? But thank God the NSA was standing there, and the President was smart enough to say every appointee from the North should go to Kaduna. This is a script they wrote. They didn’t know it would happen like that. The NSA informed them that it has successfully addressed numerous issues related to security. He showed them pictures of how bandits are now being neutralised. Is Southern Kaduna not part of Nigeria? Can’t we celebrate the calmness that is in Kaduna today? Have we ever experienced such a prolonged period of calm in Southern Kaduna over the last decade? What are we talking about?

Let’s examine some of the issues they raise, including infrastructure and education. Which infrastructure would you say the government has brought to the North in the last two years?

Sokoto to Badagry. They awarded Kaduna to Kano. Financed Borno. This government, up to Kano, is 500 km, a dual carriageway. Have you ever heard of such in the South? Tell me any road in the South that has a dual carriageway up to 500 km. IBB constructed Abuja to Kano. If they have a President today who is concerned about infrastructure, they should thank God. They don’t love the country. If they love the people of Nigeria, they should speak for Nigerians. They should not talk for a region — it will further divide it. They don’t realise they’ve divided the North over this. Why don’t they speak for Nigerians? Why don’t they acknowledge the security gains wehave achieved? A PDP governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, has come out to say that the soldiers on the ground are making successes. You don’t want to celebrate it. You prayed for reporting. Why are they not celebrating that the DSS killed 45 people in Shiroro, Niger State? You don’t want to celebrate it. You don’t want to say achievements are being made.

President Tinubu garnered 8.3 million votes in the northern region. Of that, 63% is from the North. Without the late President Buhari’s votes, is that not enough of a threat to President Tinubu, considering what Dahaltu and ACF are saying?

That is where the issues are. They wanted something, an appointment. And the President is focused on development and on people who will deliver.

The priorities of the citizens and governance are two different things. You need to understand the needs of the people, which is governance. Is the President missing that link?

No. Not at all. The President has done very well in doing what he is supposed to do — providing good governance to the people. Are there different Northerners?

ACF are your elders. Aren’t they?

Of course, they are elders. They are older than I am. I will not say they are not. I am not their mate. But why would we now be talking about self-appointed leaders? What are the criteria for being an ACF member? What made them leaders in Northern Nigeria? Let’s discuss the fundamental issues we are seeing. If they do need infrastructure in the North, it is not the infrastructure we need first. We will build infrastructure if they unite us, and then we will develop our region.

Is President Tinubu missing his calculations in the northern region?

No, he is not missing or miscalculating anything.

What makes you think so?

Who else do you think will defeat Asiwaju in 2027? Peter Obi? The same man who said the North should support him? In the same programme, he celebrated bringing alcohol to the people of Anambra State, yet he is an importer of alcohol. And he wants the North to vote for him? Should we vote for a President who will import alcohol to the North? Or are they the ones claiming they are wise enough to take care of them? Hand over this country to men who their wives are feeding? You might recall that someone here mentioned he is an entrepreneur, yet his wife is supporting him. We want a man who is a man of the house. We want a man who is in charge of his home. We will not hand over this country to a man who a woman is feeding. Even in education and health, President Tinubu has achieved a great deal. Are we not talking about NELFUND? Nearly 400,000 university students are taking out loans and celebrating on television. Why aren’t we discussing the Ministry of Health’s cancer centre, which this President is building across the six geopolitical zones, including one in Katsina? Why don’t you celebrate that? Can’t we celebrate more of it? Over 400,000 students have taken out loans to cover their school fees. I heard that students in the 400 and 500 levels at the university can apply for reimbursement of the tuition they have already paid. Have we ever heard that in history? Federal Government secondary schools are free. Technical schools are free. Over the last two months, the Minister of Education has announced stipends of ₦22,000 to be distributed to students of secondary schools, including technical schools. When was the last time we heard about this in the federal system?

With all of this, in your opinion, will it guarantee victory for President Tinubu? And the ADC coalition we see, you don’t think this is a tsunami?

It is a coalition of hungry people. We don’t respect any of them. Every one of them wants to be President. Asiwaju will win them in 2027. I will come back in 2028 to talk about it.