Student leaders from tertiary institutions across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office in 2027.
The students, drawn from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, announced their position on Tuesday during the inauguration of the students’ wing of Arewa for Asiwaju.
The coordinator of the group and President of the Students’ Union Government of Bayero University, Kano, Abdulmudallib Sheriff, said the endorsement was driven by the administration’s interventions in education, student financing, skills acquisition and youth empowerment.
Sheriff said the students would soon commence coordinated mobilisation for Tinubu across campuses.
He said, “We are for Asiwaju. Our support is not passive or ceremonial; it is organised, deliberate, and ready for action. We will take this message to our campuses and communities. We will mobilise, communicate, and organise.”
Speaking at the event, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, linked the students’ decision to what he described as the administration’s achievements in education, infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture.
Sani highlighted the Technical and Vocational Education and Training initiative and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, saying the programmes were particularly important to young people in northern Nigeria.
According to the governor, available programme data show that the northern region accounts for more than 60 per cent of beneficiaries under some key interventions.
He said political empowerment of young Nigerians must go alongside opportunities in education, the economy and the digital space.
Sani also urged the student leaders to base their campaign on verifiable achievements rather than personal attacks on political opponents.
“Do not campaign with insults; campaign with evidence. Do not answer criticism with abuse; answer it with facts,” he said.
The Director-General of Arewa for Asiwaju, Muhammad Abubakar, said the movement would focus on the Tinubu administration’s record as it seeks support for the president’s re-election.
Abubakar said students across the North were prepared to mobilise, organise and engage in support of Tinubu.
The endorsement follows similar declarations of support for the president’s 2027 re-election bid by groups of northern lecturers and women Ulama.
