Northern elder Alhaji Dabo Sambo has warned President Tinubu that rising insecurity could derail his 2027 re-election ambitions.
Sambo stressed that Nigerians now demand safety and food security, not campaign handouts, as worsening banditry, hunger, and inflation grip the North and threaten the nation’s economic stability.
A respected Northern elder and public affairs analyst, Alhaji Dabo Sambo, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently confront the growing wave of insecurity and banditry ravaging the northern region of Nigeria. He warned that failure to address these issues decisively could jeopardize the President’s chances of securing re-election in 2027.
In a recent press briefing, Sambo described the current security situation in the country particularly in the North as Nigeria’s most pressing concern. He stated that daily life has become increasingly dangerous for citizens, with persistent threats to lives and property due to unchecked banditry, insurgency, and kidnappings.
According to Sambo, protecting citizens should be at the core of the government’s responsibility, and any continued negligence could have serious political consequences for the Tinubu administration. He did not mince words when he said, “If President Tinubu refuses to eliminate the security challenges, he will definitely not win the 2027 election.”
Drawing a parallel to history, Sambo referenced the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections, attributing his loss largely to his administration’s inability to curb Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. “Nigerians no longer vote based on handouts. The era of sharing cartons of noodles and salt during campaigns is over,” he declared. “People want real solutions. They want security. They want food on their tables. Without these, they will not vote.”
Sambo emphasized the strategic importance of the North-West and North-East regions to Nigeria’s economy, especially in agriculture. He noted that these regions account for over 60 percent of the country’s food production. However, he lamented that worsening insecurity has driven farmers off their land, severely impacting food supply.
“Food is scarce in Nigeria, and people are hungry,” he said. “This is the result of terrorists and bandits chasing farmers from their farms in the North-East and North-West. If the government does not act fast, food prices will continue to rise, and hunger will spread even further.”
Beyond food insecurity, Sambo pointed out that the economic fallout from insecurity is taking a broader toll. He cited the devaluation of the Naira, skyrocketing transport costs, and overall inflation as symptoms of the deepening crisis. These, he said, are crushing the finances of ordinary Nigerians, many of whom are struggling to survive in the face of dwindling incomes and rising prices.
He urged the Tinubu administration to act with urgency. “The President must take concrete steps within the next six months to restore security across the North,” he advised. “And within a year, the government should revive and empower local farming systems. If this is not done, the same fate that befell Jonathan in 2015 awaits Tinubu.”
As the 2027 election draws nearer, Sambo’s remarks serve as a stark reminder that for many Nigerians, particularly in the North, promises and political slogans are no longer enough. The demand is clear: Nigerians want peace, stability, and food security. The ability of the current administration to deliver on these fronts may very well determine its political future.
