Former Katsina State Governor and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declaring that in nearly four decades in politics, he has not encountered a Nigerian leader with better plans for the country. The remarks add another senior political voice to the growing chorus of endorsements building around Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Masari made the comments while addressing a gathering of women at a public function reportedly held in Kaduna. The remarks were contained in a video published on Facebook by HM Arewa, a Hausa-language media platform, and were subsequently picked up and reported by Nigerian news outlets including Vanguard and TheCable, lending them wider national visibility beyond the original regional audience.
Masari’s assessment of Tinubu
Masari said his decades of involvement in Nigerian politics have given him a vantage point from which to observe successive administrations, from the return to democratic rule in 1999 through to the present, and that Tinubu’s plans for the country stood out among them. He also pushed back on criticism that the administration has achieved little more than two years into its term, arguing that previous governments faced comparable accusations while in office and that early-term criticism is a recurring feature of Nigerian political life rather than something unique to Tinubu. Citing the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, he noted that both faced criticism over sectionalism and ethnic politics — patterns he said are now being repeated in the criticism directed at Tinubu, suggesting a degree of continuity in how Nigerians relate to their leaders regardless of who occupies the office.
Appeal against ethnic and religious division
Masari also spoke at length on the use of ethnic and religious sentiment in political discourse, a theme that has repeatedly surfaced in Nigerian politics ahead of past elections. He questioned framings that tie religion exclusively to particular ethnic groups, a line of argument often invoked in debates over power-sharing and representation in the country’s diverse political landscape. He urged women preachers specifically to use their platforms and influence to discourage divisive rhetoric as Nigeria heads toward the 2027 general election, arguing that women are well placed to shape conversations within their families and communities on this front, given their often-overlooked role as informal opinion-shapers at the grassroots level.
Masari’s role in Tinubu’s 2027 campaign
The remarks come as political activity around the 2027 presidential election continues to build, with parties across the spectrum beginning to firm up their structures and messaging. Masari served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 and later governed Katsina State from 2015 to 2023, giving him decades of standing within Nigeria’s political establishment. In August, he was appointed Deputy Director-General for Parliamentary Mobilisation on the APC Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu’s re-election bid — a role that places his endorsement squarely within his current campaign responsibilities rather than as a disinterested observation.
What Masari actually said
Masari’s remarks reflect his personal assessment of Tinubu’s presidency rather than any independently verified ranking of Nigerian leaders, and no polling or comparative analysis was cited to support the claim. They are best read in light of his political alignment with Tinubu and his active role within the 2027 campaign structure. As parties and their supporters position themselves ahead of the election, statements of this kind from senior political figures are likely to remain a recurring feature of the national conversation in the months ahead.
Source: Vanguard News, TheCable, and the HM Arewa video referenced above.