A Northern elder statesman and political commentator, Alhaji Dabo Sambo, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying that unless the president takes decisive action to end banditry and insecurity in the North, his ambition for a second term in 2027 may not materialise.
Speaking to journalists, Sambo declared that the persistence of insecurity—especially in the North-East and North-West—remains the greatest threat to the country, warning that failure to address it could seal Tinubu’s political fate.
“Insecurity is Nigeria’s biggest problem today. Lives and property are not safe. That alone can deny any leader a second term,” Sambo said.
He directly linked the nation’s growing food crisis to banditry and insurgency across key agricultural belts in the North.
According to him, over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s food comes from the North-East and North-West, but with farmers abandoning their lands due to kidnappings and killings, food production has plummeted.
“Food is scarce in Nigeria and people are hungry. If the President wants to secure his re-election, he must first secure the country,” Sambo added.
He lamented the economic hardship brought on by insecurity, including a weakened naira, rising transportation costs, and inflation, saying these factors are eroding the savings and livelihoods of average Nigerians.
Sambo issued a six-month ultimatum to President Tinubu to end the wave of killings and restore security. He also urged the government to revive local agriculture within a year, describing food and safety as “non-negotiable campaign promises.”
“If President Tinubu refuses to wipe out the security challenges, he will definitely not win the 2027 election,” Sambo said, referencing former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 loss, which he blamed on similar security failures.
He dismissed Tinubu’s political challengers as lacking credible alternatives but maintained that public frustration with insecurity and hunger could override party loyalty or vote-buying strategies.
“The era of distributing noodles and salt during campaigns is over. People want security and food. Without these, they will not vote,” he said pointedly.
Sambo also warned that the President’s real political threat may lie within his inner circle.
“The visible opponents are not the problem. The danger is from within—those who are benefiting from inaction on security and agriculture,” he stated.
Citing recent allegations from the U.S. Congress and Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, implicating the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in allegedly funding terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Sambo called on the Nigerian government to confront international influences instead of “pretending all is well.”
He concluded with a firm call for urgent leadership: “The president must stop playing politics with national security. Nigerians are watching, and 2027 is not far.”
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