Ex-governor of Borno State and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Ali Modu Sheriff, has dismissed the chances of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi winning the 2027 presidential election, insisting the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate would fail to secure the backing of Northern voters.
Speaking on Monday during Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sheriff also defended President Bola Tinubu’s record on security, expressed confidence that the APC would remain in power after the next general election, and argued that the presidency should stay in the South until 2031.
Obi came third in the 2023 presidential election after securing more than six million votes on the Labour Party platform. He will be contesting for the presidency again in 2027 under the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Sheriff said the former Anambra governor stood little chance of attracting widespread support in Northern Nigeria.
“I am not worried about Peter Obi because I know Northerners will never vote for him,” he said.
When reminded that Obi won substantial votes in states including Plateau and Nasarawa during the last presidential election, Sheriff maintained that circumstances had since changed.
He alleged that Obi’s time as governor of Anambra State had left many Northerners dissatisfied.
“The situation is different now. When Peter Obi was governor, he chased Northerners out of Anambra State,” Sheriff alleged.
The former Borno governor further claimed that supporters of former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had voiced opposition to any political partnership between their leader and Obi.
“This is what people in Kano are telling Kwankwaso now. They say they have always supported him and will continue to do so if he contests for president, but they will not support him if he aligns with Peter Obi,” he said.
Sheriff also pushed back against Obi’s recent criticism of President Tinubu’s handling of insecurity.
Obi has repeatedly faulted the administration over worsening security challenges, arguing that the President should relinquish office if he cannot ensure the safety of Nigerians.
In response, Sheriff said the security crisis did not begin under Tinubu’s administration and urged Nigerians to assess the government based on the reforms it has introduced.
“We should not simply condemn the President because there is insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.
He pointed to the administration’s push for state police as one of the measures intended to improve security across the country.
Sheriff also dismissed the prospects of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to contest the 2027 election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, arguing that the presidency should remain in the South for another term.
He said Nigeria’s political elite reached an unwritten consensus after the civil war to preserve national unity by alternating presidential power between the North and South.
“After the civil war, our leaders agreed that Nigeria should not continue on the old path. There is an understanding about regional balance.
“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,” he said.
Sheriff expressed confidence that President Tinubu would secure a second term in 2027 but added that the APC would not take victory for granted and would continue to campaign vigorously ahead of the election.
