By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Ahead of the 2027 general election, key northern stakeholders under the aegis of the Northern Elders Forum NEF and the National Political Consultative Group NPCG have initiated moves to forge a united political front for the region, with plans to convene a Northern Unity Summit in early 2026.
The plan, according to the conveners, will rally traditional rulers, religious leaders and political actors across the 19 northern states to promote unity and collective political action reminiscent of the late Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello’s era of inclusiveness.
Speaking at the NPCG expanded meeting held Saturday in Abuja, the Director General of the Northern Elders Forum NEF, Prof. Doknan Sheni, said the first step towards restoring the region’s strength lies in addressing both internal and external factors responsible for its disunity.
Prof. Sheni, who spoke on the theme “The Imperative of Northern Unity Ahead of 2027 Elections,” warned that unless identity-related issues are properly managed, “the North, and by extension Nigeria, may continue to slide into deeper ethno-religious fragmentation.”
He urged northern leaders to launch massive enlightenment campaigns ahead of 2027 to reorient voters toward ideology, principles and credible party manifestos rather than emotional or sectional sentiments.
“If the north is to prepare and unite for the 2027 election, there must be massive enlightenment programmes among the electorate so that the citizens vote based on ideology, principles and real manifestos of parties and candidates and not based on sentiments.
“There must be training of INEC staff, particularly the ad hoc staff, to know how to use the gadgets used in voting. INEC must build confidence in the populace in how they conduct and transmit election results. They must ensure there is transparency on how elections are conducted”, he said.
Calling for a Northern Leaders’ Summit in the first quarter of 2026, Prof. Sheni said the event would harmonize ideas and produce a Northern Development Blueprint, with representatives from each state contributing to a shared vision for political and economic advancement.
“For the north to unite towards the 2027 elections, there should be a summit of northern leaders sometime in the first quarter of 2026 or thereabouts to harmonize ideas and plan for the elections. The two major operating factors that influence voters’ election patterns – religion and ethnicity – must be addressed at that summit,” he noted.
Prof. Sheni cautioned against external manipulation of internal divisions, warning that political actors from other regions could exploit northern disunity to weaken its influence in national politics.
He said; “There may be other political interests by other Nigerians to wedge and exploit political, religious and ethnic differences within northerners so that they could get inroads into the region. If we permit these differences among us to be exploited by other politicians outside our region, then we have agreed to be permanently divided.
“We should do everything possible to narrow and minimize these differences. No matter the cause of the disunity, when we northerners close ranks and begin to treat one another with respect and justice, most of the issues causing disunity will disappear.”
The NEF DG emphasized that a cohesive political front was essential for the North to negotiate equitable representation, influence national policy direction, and strengthen its hand in resource and power-sharing arrangements.
He observed that Northern Nigeria continues to face disproportionate security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts, which demand coordinated and unified regional responses.
“The Northern States Governors’ Forum, Northern Elders’ Forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum and traditional rulers’ forum should hold meetings to align regional strategies for security and development,” Sheni said.
He also urged renewed investment drives through initiatives such as the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialization Summit NNIIS, aimed at promoting public-private partnerships and tackling unemployment and youth restiveness.
“If this succeeds and is implemented, unemployment and youth restiveness will decrease significantly. Grassroots mobilization, through youth groups and civil society organizations, should also be encouraged to raise awareness of shared problems and mobilize citizens to demand better governance,” he added.
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