Former Borno governor says Northern voters will not back the former Anambra governor, while expressing confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure re-election

Former Borno State Governor and senior All Progressives Congress leader, Ali Modu Sheriff, has dismissed Peter Obi’s prospects in the 2027 presidential election, saying the former Anambra State governor is unlikely to secure the support of Northern voters needed to win Nigeria’s highest office.

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Sheriff made the remarks during an appearance on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, on Monday, where he also defended President Bola Tinubu’s handling of national security and expressed confidence in the President’s re-election bid.

Addressing the emerging political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election, Sheriff said he did not regard Obi, who is now associated with the Nigeria Democratic Congress, as a significant electoral challenge to the ruling APC.

“I am not worried about Peter Obi at all because I know that Northerners will never vote for Peter Obi,” Sheriff said.

The former governor argued that the political dynamics in Northern Nigeria would make it extremely difficult for Obi to improve on his performance in the 2023 presidential election, when the former Labour Party candidate secured more than six million votes nationwide.

Sheriff further claimed that some Northern voters remained dissatisfied with Obi over decisions taken during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, maintaining that such perceptions would weigh against any future presidential ambition.

He also suggested that attempts to build broad opposition alliances around Obi could encounter resistance in parts of the North, referring to ongoing political discussions involving supporters of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Responding to Obi’s recent criticism of President Tinubu over worsening insecurity, Sheriff defended the Federal Government, arguing that the administration had inherited long-standing security challenges rather than created them.

According to Sheriff, the Tinubu administration is pursuing practical reforms, including efforts to advance the creation of state police, as part of broader measures to strengthen internal security across the country.

The former governor also weighed in on the prospects of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying the former Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate should defer any fresh presidential ambition until 2031.

Sheriff argued that Nigeria’s long-standing informal power-sharing arrangement between the North and the South should be respected, allowing the South to complete another four-year presidential term after the 2027 election.

While acknowledging Atiku’s political experience and influence, Sheriff said the North would be better positioned to seek the presidency after the completion of another southern tenure.

The comments come as political parties and prominent figures gradually position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, despite the Independent National Electoral Commission yet to release the official timetable for the polls.

Discussions around possible opposition coalitions, party realignments and zoning arrangements have intensified in recent months as politicians seek to build alliances capable of challenging the ruling APC.

Although Sheriff expressed confidence that President Tinubu would secure a second term, he said the APC would not take victory for granted.

The former governor stressed that the ruling party would continue to campaign vigorously across the country rather than assume that the outcome of the election was already assured.

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Sheriff’s remarks add to the growing public debate over the likely shape of the 2027 presidential contest, with leading political figures increasingly outlining their positions as Nigeria moves closer to another election cycle.