The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Deputy Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has dismissed claims by certain Islamic clerics purporting to speak on behalf of Muslims and the entire northern region, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu enjoys widespread support across religious communities.

Basiru stated that the North is not a monolithic political bloc, noting that it comprises the North-Central, North-East, and North-West geopolitical zones, each with diverse interests and political affiliations.

Speaking during an appearance on TVC’s Beyond the Headlines on Tuesday, he noted that the APC leadership has also been engaging with Christian communities in the region, adding that feedback from the outreach indicated strong support for Tinubu’s re-election among the groups consulted.

“If some individuals gather and claim to be Islamic clerics, even if there are 1,000 of them, the question is: who accredited them to speak on behalf of Muslims and the entire North?” he asked.

“What I know is that about three weeks ago, I accompanied our Director-General to Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Kano states. We met with leading voices in the Islamic community who openly endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election. These are people with established credentials who are well-known and command respect within the Muslim community in the North.”

He emphasized that the APC remains determined to avoid running a campaign centered on religious or ethnic divisions.

“We are working seriously to secure a pan-Nigerian mandate for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We do not want to sectionalise our campaign or weaponise ethnic identity or religion,” he said.

He cited the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, extensive road construction projects, support for livestock development, and agricultural mechanisation as key initiatives that will appeal to voters in the North.

According to him, students from vulnerable backgrounds are receiving monthly stipends of N20,000, while more than 3,000 kilometres of roads are currently under construction across the northern part of the country.

Basiru also defended the administration’s economic policies, contrasting current conditions with the 2023 naira redesign policy, which he noted inflicted severe hardship on Nigerians.

He said, “In this regard, you should cast your mind back to 2023. The same opposition figures were among those who failed to sympathise with Nigerians over the naira redesign exercise and the artificial cash scarcity that followed.”

“There is a difference between returning to the era of fuel subsidies when many states struggled to pay workers’ salaries and pensioners were left unpaid and the present situation, in which workers’ salaries and pensions are being disbursed regularly.”

“The privatisation policy spearheaded and implemented during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, with Atiku Abubakar serving as Vice-President, led to a situation where workers in the aviation sector were denied their gratuities and pensions.”

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has addressed this anomaly. Military pensioners have also received due attention under his administration.”

“Today, no state government in Nigeria should need to approach the capital market to raise funds for infrastructure development or the settlement of recurrent expenditure.”

“We cannot return to the era when our economy depended heavily on borrowing simply to meet recurrent obligations,” he concluded.