…Eye Uzor-Kalu as backup candidate
Ahead of the 2027 Presidential elections, a prominent coalition of over 40 groups, Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), has made public its rejection of any ticket that would include former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai.
President of NYLF, Comrade Eliot Afiyo disclosed this, when fielding questions from newsmen in Abeokuta on Wednesday March 12, 2025, after visiting one of its patrons, ex President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He explained that their preferred candidate that they would back, is Labour Party 2023 Presidential flag bearer, Mr. Peter Obi, with Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, or Adamawa State Governor, Umar Fintiri as his running mate.
“On the Presidency, we don’t rush to the press without getting clearance from our patrons.
“We have concluded our consultations and I am glad to inform you that the only ticket that can unite the Northerners to get bloc votes are either Obi-Dauda Lawal, Obi-Fintiri, Orji Kalu-Dauda Lawal or Kalu-Fintiri,” he said.
He explained that this is a decision of the forum on national issues especially the 2027
national issues, of the groups formed on the 26th of September, 1994 by Northern Political,
National interest.
Explaining further, he said that Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State or Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State are the only between the Northerners, while Peter Obi and Senator Orji Kalu are also personalities that can secure the South-East and garner the sympathy votes from the North.
“This is based on our research findings. But the Muslim North especially the clerics are considering it as political
blunder to change this government as we did in 2015, then the North will lose,” he said.
He warned that if the North fails to get its calculations right in 2027, it might be going into political wilderness.