More than 600 senior lecturers from public universities across Northern Nigeria have declared their support for President Bola Tinubu’s bid to secure another term in the 2027 presidential election.
As reported by DAILY TRUST, the lecturers made their position known at a stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna convened by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, to discuss the administration’s performance and the country’s political direction ahead of the next general election.
The meeting, held at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Centre, attracted several northern political leaders, including Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal, Yobe Governor Mai Mala Buni, Borno Governor Babagana Zulum and Gombe Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
The Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle, Minister of Housing, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, and former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, were also among those who attended the engagement.
Presenting the communiqué, the Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Prof Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, said the academics assessed Tinubu’s administration since May 2023, including its handling of the economy, security, education, infrastructure and social development.
According to the lecturers, although some government reforms had increased the economic burden on Nigerians through higher living and transportation costs, the measures had also improved government revenue and public finances. They further cited developments in education funding, agriculture, infrastructure, business support and the digital economy.
The academics subsequently resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election but cautioned that their backing was not an unconditional endorsement. They called on the Federal Government to urgently address food and transport costs, unemployment and insecurity, while strengthening investment in education, healthcare, agriculture, electricity, roads and other infrastructure in the North.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Universities distanced itself from the declaration, with its President, Prof Chris Piwuna, insisting that ASUU remains politically neutral.
Piwuna said individual lecturers were free to support any political party or candidate of their choice, but stressed that such decisions must not be attributed to the union.
“We have never, and we will never endorse any political party candidate. Nobody should drag us into such things,” the ASUU president said.
The endorsement came as political consultations intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the Tinubu camp seeking the backing of influential groups across Northern Nigeria.
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