Northern Minorities Mobilize for Tinubu, Reject ‘Anti-North’ Claims

A coalition of minority ethnic groups from Nigeria’s northern region, operating under the name “Northern Minorities,” has launched a campaign to mobilize support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. The group has pledged to gather two million people from the North’s 19 states for a major rally in Abuja.

The convener of the group, Chief Jacob Edi, stated that their mission is to join the growing, organic wave of national support for President Tinubu. He addressed reporters in Abuja over the weekend, dismissing claims from what he called “a few self-serving individuals” that the President is anti-North as outright falsehoods.

Edi argued that the cross-party endorsements from opposition governors are unprecedented proof of Tinubu’s unifying leadership. “Since 1999, we have never seen anything like this,” he said, citing the support of governors from Plateau, Anambra, Osun, and Abia states.

He vehemently rejected the narrative of an anti-North presidency, calling it a power play by a desperate elite. “Let us be blunt: this is not about truth, it is about power. Their oligarchical instinct to dominate is at play,” Edi stated.

To counter these claims, he listed key northerners in Tinubu’s government, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Minister of Defence, and the National Security Adviser. He also highlighted policy wins for the region, such as the creation of the Northwest and Northcentral Development Commissions and the historic inclusion of an FCT indigene in the Federal Executive Council.

In a related show of support, the SGF, Senator George Akume, implored the people of his home state of Benue to sustain their backing for President Tinubu. Speaking at the handover of a renovated primary school and ICT lab he facilitated in Tarka Local Government, Akume called Tinubu the right leader with the drive to implement life-changing initiatives like the ongoing nationwide road infrastructure projects.

He described the school renovation as a personal, fulfilling project, noting that his own journey to “stardom” began there decades ago.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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