BY JULIET EKWENUGO, Kaduna
National President of the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), Comrade (Dr) Elliot Afiyo, has said only a political alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, could defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Afiyo said neither Atiku nor Obi could defeat Tinubu if they contested separately, adding that either of the two opposition figures could defeat the president if the other withdrew from the race and backed him.
He spoke in an interview with journalists in Lusaka, Zambia, where he was monitoring the country’s presidential election and attending a summit involving traditional rulers from African countries.
According to him, the 2027 presidential election would be one of the toughest political contests in Nigeria’s history because of the interests and personalities involved.
“Tinubu is actually out of the equation, if God spares the life of Tinubu. But if Obi will resign and back Atiku, or Atiku resigns and backs Obi, then there is a prospect of either Atiku or Obi defeating Tinubu at the polls,” he said.
Afiyo also dismissed the possibility of a northern political consensus around Atiku or former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, claiming that some northern political interests would not support either of them for president or vice president.
He urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to engage established northern youth organisations ahead of the election, arguing that such engagement could strengthen its chances of securing a second-term mandate for Tinubu.
The NYLF president alleged that some groups being courted by political parties as youth organisations lacked verifiable structures and were formed mainly for political campaigns and access to campaign funds.
He also accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of repeating what he described as the mistakes of the 2023 election by failing to adequately engage genuine youth organisations.
On the position of the NYLF, Afiyo clarified that the organisation had not endorsed any presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
He said the forum would determine its position at a meeting of its National Working Executive Council scheduled to hold in Kaduna in November 2026.
“We are yet to take our final decision. Our decision will be determined by the National Working Executive Council during our meeting at Kaduna in November, 2026,” he said.
