Former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has criticized the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for expressing regret over their support for President Bola Tinubu during the last general election. The NEF, through spokesman Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, recently stated that the North erred in voting for Tinubu in 2023.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Masari defended the decision to back Tinubu, arguing that it was based on expectations rather than principles. He believes it is premature to judge the administration harshly within its first year.
“Those who say they regret supporting Tinubu did so based on unmet expectations, not principles. A government serving a four-year term being judged in its first nine months is unfair,” Masari stated.
Masari also responded to criticisms from People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi. He argued that no opposition party could have mitigated the current challenges, noting that all major candidates had pledged to remove the fuel subsidy during their campaigns.
“All political parties, including those criticizing now, promised to remove the subsidy. It’s easy to criticize, but leadership requires patience and accommodation,” Masari concluded.