2027: Tinubu, APC Face Growing Northern Backlash As Protests, Attacks Rock Campaigns

Protests, attacks on ruling party supporters and the destruction of APC campaign materials across parts of Northern Nigeria are raising fresh concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects, with economic hardship, worsening insecurity and growing demands for power rotation fuelling political discontent ahead of the 2027 general election.

The unfolding developments in Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina suggest that the APC could face an increasingly difficult battle to retain the support of northern voters, a region widely regarded as critical to Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Although the incidents do not necessarily represent a collective rejection of the ruling party across the North, they point to growing political resistance that could complicate the APC’s campaign as opposition forces intensify efforts to unseat the president.

In the latest demonstration, hundreds of youths took to the streets of Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, on Monday, chanting anti-Tinubu slogans and demanding an end to the president’s administration.

The protesters converged on Freedom Square, a major intersection in the city, causing heavy traffic congestion.

Videos obtained by LEADERSHIP showed some demonstrators dressed in white T-shirts bearing the inscription, “TINUBU MUST GO”, as they marched and sang solidarity songs.

The protest added to mounting expressions of dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration across parts of the North-West.

In Kaduna State, a video circulated on social media in September showing residents dismantling an APC campaign structure bearing the party’s insignia and the image of Governor Uba Sani.

A September 4, 2026 fact-check by The FactCheckHub confirmed the authenticity of the footage.

The ruling party also suffered another setback in Katsina State on October 28 when suspected political thugs attacked APC supporters travelling along the Yashi-Funtua road in Malumfashi Local Government Area.

The supporters were reportedly heading to Funtua for the Tinubu-Dikko 2027 campaign flag-off when their convoy came under attack.

According to the state police command, the assailants pelted the convoy and passing commercial vehicles with stones, damaging several windscreens and injuring a female passenger.

Police subsequently arrested 14 suspects.

In a separate incident in Yankara, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina, three persons were arrested following violence in which a crowd reportedly blocked a road, hurled stones and set a vehicle ablaze after Governor Dikko Radda passed through the community on his way to an APC governorship campaign rally.

Political posters were also destroyed during the incident, which police described as suspected political thuggery.

The developments have heightened concerns about the safety of political activities as the 2027 electioneering season gathers momentum.

Beyond street protests and attacks on campaign activities, the growing political tension has also been reflected on social media, where some commentators have linked the APC's challenges in the North to the rising political influence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is now associated with the African Democratic Congress, ADC, which is positioning itself as a major opposition platform ahead of 2027.

A video showing a large crowd at an Atiku political gathering, with participants displaying ADC flags, has also generated considerable reactions on X.

One user, @jrnaib2, reacting to the footage, wrote: “I now understand why they might postpone the election; the fear of Atiku is the reason.”

However, there is no established evidence that the 2027 general election is being considered for postponement because of Atiku's political influence or the APC's electoral challenges.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027.

Why Northern Support For Tinubu Is Under Pressure

Political and economic analyst, Adefolarin Olamilekan, identified economic hardship, dissatisfaction with political appointments and the agitation for power to return to the North as three major factors driving discontent with the Tinubu administration.

According to him, sections of the northern electorate believe the region has not received adequate political representation under the current administration and that the presidency should return to the North in 2027.

He argued that the agitation goes beyond economic difficulties, stressing that some northern political elites and youths are increasingly demanding a shift in presidential power.

Olamilekan noted that the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power had affected Nigerians across the country but maintained that political interests were also contributing significantly to the northern discontent.

He said the South believed Tinubu should complete an eight-year presidential tenure before power returns to the North in 2031, but some northern groups were unwilling to wait until then.

Also speaking, legal practitioner and political enthusiast, Barrister Anayo Adibe, said the protests reflected the right of citizens to reject a government that had failed to meet their expectations.

He identified insecurity, rising poverty and the growing number of out-of-school children as major concerns contributing to dissatisfaction in the North.

Adibe argued that the Tinubu administration's inability to adequately address these challenges had given sections of the population reasons to express their displeasure.

He described peaceful protests as an important feature of democracy, insisting that citizens should be free to communicate their dissatisfaction and determine who governs them through the ballot box.

Could Political Tension Force Election Postponement?

On the possibility of the growing protests affecting the 2027 elections, Adibe maintained that demonstrations should not be viewed as a threat to the electoral process.

Rather, he described them as an opportunity for the Independent National Electoral Commission to demonstrate its commitment to credible elections.

However, National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Comrade Debo Adeniran, cautioned against interpreting isolated protests and attacks as evidence of a widespread rejection of the APC across Northern Nigeria.

He argued that political interests and opposition activities could influence public perceptions, particularly during electioneering periods, through the spread of misleading information and narratives.

Adeniran acknowledged that some Nigerians might genuinely oppose the administration, while others could support it because of their political convictions or perceived benefits from its policies.

He nevertheless warned politicians against encouraging violence, stressing that political disagreements must be expressed through peaceful and lawful means.

According to him, the use of violence as a political weapon could eventually undermine whoever emerges victorious in the elections.

2027: APC Faces Crucial Test In The North

Under Nigeria's electoral framework, elections may be postponed in circumstances involving serious security threats or emergencies that make conducting the polls impossible, subject to applicable legal provisions.

However, political protests, opposition activities or fears of electoral defeat do not, in themselves, provide grounds for postponing a nationwide election.

For the APC, the incidents in Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina represent an early warning of the political challenges confronting its 2027 re-election campaign.

The party must contend with growing public concerns over insecurity, poverty, education and political representation, alongside an opposition seeking to exploit dissatisfaction with the administration.

Whether the protests and isolated attacks translate into a broader electoral backlash remains uncertain.

But with the 2027 presidential election approaching, Tinubu and the APC face a crucial test of their political strength in the North, where winning back public confidence could prove decisive to the president's second-term ambition.