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Northern youth leaders have opened a fresh conversation over their place in the political machinery of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, urging Vice President Kashim Shettima, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and other northern political leaders to intervene in what they described as concerns over inadequate representation of Arewa youths in political and youth leadership structures.
The demand emerged from a joint stakeholders’ meeting involving the Northern Youth Solidarity for Good Governance, the Arewa Youth Assembly and the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum.
At the meeting, the youth leaders raised concerns about what they perceived as limited access for northern youths to leadership positions in youth organisations, political support groups and other structures with roles in political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Rather than allowing the concerns to develop into a broader political disagreement, the participants called for early consultation between northern youth groups, political leaders and elders, arguing that dialogue could provide a platform for resolving the issues before the next election cycle gathers greater momentum.
President of the Arewa Youth Assembly, Amb. Abdul Garba Danbature, consequently asked the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum to constitute a high-powered consultation committee that would engage northern elders and political stakeholders serving in the Tinubu administration.
Danbature said the proposed engagement should provide an avenue for the grievances being expressed by northern youths to be discussed directly with those in positions to influence political and administrative decisions.
He said such a process would help establish a lasting framework for inclusion and prevent the concerns from becoming a source of tension within the political structure as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
Among the northern leaders he identified for possible engagement were Vice President Shettima, Ribadu, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.
Danbature maintained that the intervention of influential northern leaders would be important in addressing concerns about representation and ensuring what he described as equitable participation by Arewa youths in government-related structures, ruling party activities, student affairs and youth organisations.
The meeting, however, also featured claims concerning the political activities and influence of Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son.
The claims were presented by the participating youth leaders and could not be independently verified. Seyi Tinubu was not represented at the meeting, and no response from him was included in the account.
Secretary-General of the Arewa Youth Solidarity for Good Governance, Hon. Iliya Baban Yawo, alleged that Seyi Tinubu had influenced or played a role in the emergence of some individuals from the South-West in youth-related political and government positions.
Baban Yawo further alleged that northern youths had encountered difficulties in securing comparable opportunities within some youth organisations.
The claims remained allegations from the meeting and were not independently established.
Baban Yawo also questioned what he described as the reported recommendation of two youth movements for APC and presidential mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 election.
He named the City Boy Movement and the Relax, Tinubu is Fixing Nigeria Movement, saying northern support groups were expected to work with the organisations.
The claims concerning the two movements were not independently verified, and representatives of the organisations were not part of the account of the meeting.
Baban Yawo nevertheless argued that political mobilisation for a national election should provide room for participation by young people across the country, irrespective of their region.
According to him, northern youths should be able to organise and contribute to political mobilisation without being restricted to supporting structures they did not establish or control.
He warned that unresolved perceptions of exclusion could generate dissatisfaction among northern youths and become a factor in political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
At the same time, he commended the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum for encouraging northern youths to reconsider their appointments and partnerships with the two support groups identified during the meeting.
Baban Yawo argued that any political movement seeking nationwide support should reflect Nigeria’s regional and demographic diversity, while creating meaningful avenues for young people from different parts of the country to participate.
He appealed to President Tinubu to consider the concerns being raised and address them before they develop into a larger political question in the run-up to 2027.
For the Arewa Democratic Youth Stakeholders Forum, the immediate response was to favour consultation rather than confrontation.
Speaking on behalf of the Forum, Hon. Haruna Sardauna welcomed the participating youth leaders and called for greater cohesion among the various northern youth organisations.
Sardauna said differences over political participation should not become a reason for fragmentation among northern youths, stressing the need to pursue the issues through dialogue and structured engagement.
He consequently directed the Forum’s Organising Secretary, Hon. Bello Shehu Funtua, to establish a high-powered engagement committee that would consult northern elders and political stakeholders.
The committee, he said, would take up the concerns surrounding alleged marginalisation and seek the intervention of relevant leaders towards creating greater opportunities for northern youths.
Sardauna also disclosed that the Forum had received reports and data from APC support group leaders in the North-Central through Mallam Idiriss Jibrin.
He added that similar consultations were being pursued in the North-East and North-West as the Forum continued to gather information on the concerns being raised by youth groups across the northern region.
According to him, the exercise was intended not only to identify areas of concern but also to encourage political support groups in the North to establish structures through which they could participate more independently in political mobilisation.
Sardauna maintained that northern youth organisations should have the freedom to organise and mobilise in support of President Tinubu’s re-election while ensuring that their own interests and concerns were adequately represented within the broader political arrangement.
The Forum stressed that its position should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the Tinubu administration.
Rather, it said its objective was to promote fairness, equal opportunity and wider participation for Arewa youths within political and youth structures.
The stakeholders also placed their argument within the wider demographic and political significance of young Nigerians in electoral politics.
They contended that northern youths represent a substantial component of the country’s political population and, therefore, should have opportunities to participate in decision-making processes connected with youth affairs and political mobilisation.
Against that backdrop, they renewed their appeal to Vice President Shettima, Ribadu, northern elders and other political leaders serving in the Tinubu administration to intervene before the concerns become more deeply entrenched.
The youth leaders argued that an early political response would provide an opportunity for the issues to be addressed through consultation rather than allowing disagreements over representation to spill into the wider 2027 mobilisation effort.
They also maintained that broader participation could strengthen cohesion within the governing political structure and give more young Nigerians a greater sense of ownership of the democratic process.
The debate comes as political actors and support groups gradually reposition themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with questions of regional representation, youth participation and access to political structures expected to remain significant elements of the emerging political conversation.
For the northern youth groups involved in the meeting, the immediate demand is not presented as a rejection of the administration, but as a call for greater inclusion within its political ecosystem.
The allegations involving Seyi Tinubu and the named support groups remain claims made by the participating northern youth organisations and were not independently verified.
Seyi Tinubu and representatives of the support groups mentioned were not represented in the account of the meeting, while their responses to the claims were not included.