President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign team has drawn criticism since its formation last week, but one regional coalition is pushing back against calls to remove a controversial figure from the roster.
Abba Chamma Habib, chairman of the Northeast Coalition for Truth, Justice and Responsible Leadership, said his group fully supports former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff’s appointment as North East Deputy Director of Tinubu’s campaign organization.
Speaking at a press conference in Maiduguri on Friday, Habib dismissed the petition demanding Sheriff’s removal as a politically motivated attack designed to weaken an experienced leader and sow division within the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“We cannot continue to remain silent while individuals hide behind the name of a so-called grassroots movement to launch what we consider a politically motivated attack on Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,” Habib said. “The recent petition calling for his exclusion is, in our view, an attempt to weaken an experienced Northeastern leader.”
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Sheriff, a two-term Borno governor and former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has faced persistent criticism over his political history. Opponents argue he lacks the credibility to deliver the region for Tinubu and the APC in the next election cycle.
Habib countered that a national campaign cannot afford to exclude leaders with established networks and mobilization capacity. He pointed to Sheriff’s decades in Nigerian politics—including Senate service and multiple election victories—as evidence of his qualifications.
“A winning national campaign cannot afford to deliberately exclude experienced leaders with established relationships, political networks, and the ability to mobilise support across different parts of the country,” he said. “Those genuinely committed to President Tinubu’s re-election should be asking how experienced political leaders can be brought together—not how they can be excluded.”
The coalition’s stance reflects a broader tension within the APC over regional representation. While some party members view Sheriff’s appointment as a strategic move to consolidate support in the Northeast, others see it as a liability given his past affiliations with opposition parties.
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Habib rejected that concern, arguing that personal political differences should not overshadow the larger goal of re-electing Tinubu. “If the objective is truly Tinubu Continuity 2027, then every individual with the capacity to contribute to the campaign should be encouraged to participate,” he said.
The coalition also condemned what it described as a smear campaign against Sheriff, urging Tinubu’s supporters to stay focused on the broader electoral challenge.
Sheriff’s political career has spanned multiple parties, including stints in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party and the PDP before his return to the APC. His supporters argue this cross-party experience makes him uniquely positioned to bridge divides in the region.
For now, the coalition’s endorsement appears unlikely to silence Sheriff’s critics. But it signals that at least one influential group in the Northeast is willing to overlook past controversies in favor of a united front for Tinubu’s re-election bid.