Citizen Challenge Northern Governor's on Tinubu Endorsement 

Endorsement of Tinubu for 2027 in 2025: Northern Governors Must Now Point to Their Own Scorecards

When the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Governor of my state of origin, Gombe, Inuwa Yahaya, declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has kept and is still keeping the promises he made in 2023, he handed out more than praise. He also raised a serious question for himself and his colleagues in the region: how many of their own promises have they kept?

It is convenient to pass the microphone around and endorse the President. But leadership is not about singing praises. It is about results. Measurable ones. If President Tinubu has delivered on his end of the bargain as they claim, can the same be said of the governors representing the nineteen northern states?

And perhaps more importantly, are these governors speaking out of genuine conviction or out of personal ambition? Is this an early campaign for second term tickets? And for those nearing the end of their tenure, is it an audition for ministerial appointments?

These are not cynical questions. They are necessary ones. Because the stakes are too high for empty endorsements.

Let us examine a few facts.

1. Insecurity still looms

The primary duty of government is to protect lives and property. Can the Northern Governors Forum boldly say they have made serious progress on this front?

Is Zamfara now free from the grip of bandits? Has Katsina stopped counting abductions and killings? Has peace truly returned to Benue where farmlands have become graveyards? What about Plateau where cycles of violence continue to erupt? Is Niger State safe from terrorists who have siege over many local governments?

Or are these states simply moving from one press conference to another without real results?

2. Tinubu’s money not reaching the grassroots

Only recently, President Tinubu expressed his frustration that he has been pumping money into state governments but the people are not feeling the impact. That was not a political jab. It was an honest admission from the President himself.

So if the governors believe the President is keeping his promises, are they also willing to admit that they are failing to reflect that effort in their own backyards?

What about the allocations meant to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal?

Where is the infrastructure that should have emerged from the funds received?

3. Poverty still lives here

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, most of the poorest states in Nigeria are in the north. Yet these same states receive the highest allocations from the federal purse.

How many governors have presented a clear plan to reduce poverty in their states? Where are the new industries? Where is the job creation? Where is the impact?

Are they spending more on foreign trips, new convoys and media propaganda than on farmers, traders and small businesses?

4. Education in decline

Many northern states still top the list of out-of-school children. Why? What happened to the promises of basic education for all?

Why are we still seeing dilapidated schools and children learning under trees in 2025?

Governors continue to splash money on political billboards but refuse to invest in the future of their people.

5. Health care in ruins

In rural areas, women still die during childbirth. Clinics are either empty or under lock and key. Children are treated on bare floors. Health workers are poorly paid and facilities are in terrible shape.

What happened to the promise of accessible and affordable healthcare?

6. Agriculture still remains talk

The north has the land. It has the labour. It has the legacy. Yet agriculture remains neglected.

Where are the storage facilities to stop food loss?

Where are the irrigation systems to support year-round farming?

Where is access to credit and investment in processing?

Time for accountability not endorsements

It is not wrong to support the President. But endorsement must never become a cover for failure. It should not be used as a shield for poor performance or a springboard to new political appointments.

If they believe President Tinubu is keeping his promises, then they must also step forward and show the people the promises they have fulfilled.

The north is watching. The people are wiser (or so I think). They no longer celebrate titles. They celebrate visible results. I'm honestly not totally sure of this though.

So as the governors line up to endorse the President two years ahead of the election, they must also face their people.

Let them show the roads they have built.
Let them point to the hospitals they have equipped.
Let them list the schools they have reopened.
Let them present the jobs they have created.
Let them explain the lives they have changed.

If President Tinubu is truly keeping his promises, the question is simple.

Are they?

And most importantly, why are they really endorsing him now?

The governors have the right to endorse but maybe not on behalf of all of us. We no send dem.

Ordinary citizen
Prince Daniel