In Senator Abdulaziz Yari, the Senator representing Zamfara West, President Bola Tinubu, might have found a rare northern ally, writes Oluwaseyi Adedotun.
In the labyrinth of Nigerian politics, where shifting allegiances and self-interest often define loyalty, Senator Abdulaziz Yari’s political journey is emerging as a case study in strategic fidelity.
Once dismissed as an ambitious northern tactician with eyes on high office, Yari has gradually built a reputation for subtle but consistent loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, even when it was politically risky to do so.
As Nigeria gears up for the 2027 elections and President Tinubu faces growing questions about northern support, Yari has once again raised his hand.
At the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) northern stakeholders’ meeting, the former Zamfara state governor publicly reaffirmed his support for Tinubu, declaring: “He is our president. We must stand by him. The time for political games is over; we must unite behind him.”
This wasn’t the first time Yari stood with Tinubu. In fact, during the politically tense months leading to the APC presidential primaries and the 2023 general election, Yari, quietly, but effectively sided with Tinubu, even as powerful forces within then president Muhammadu Buhari’s inner circle worked to undermine him (Tinubu).
Thus, Yari’s is the less-told story of a northern powerbroker, who defied the odds, resisted pressure from Aso Rock and aligned with the future, not just out of political calculation, but with a conviction that Nigeria needed strong, tested leadership.
As 2022 rolled in, it became clear that the 2023 presidential election would be one of the most consequential in Nigeria’s democratic history. With Buhari completing his constitutional two-terms of eight years, the APC was faced with a monumental challenge – the choice of a fitting successor.
While the party had promised to move power to the South, the inner workings of Buhari’s presidency, especially his tight-knit northern advisory circle suggested otherwise.
But Tinubu, a co-founder of the APC and acclaimed political tactician had made clear his intention to run. What followed was a sophisticated attempt by Buhari’s loyalists to stop him, using tools ranging from subtle delegitimisation to weaponisation of a monetary policy.
It was in this heated atmosphere that Senator Yari began to distinguish himself, not with fiery speeches or social media campaigns, but through strategic silence, procedural interventions, and quiet resistance to policies and party decisions that were widely perceived to target Tinubu.
A major ploy to sideline Tinubu was the push by Buhari’s men to impose a “consensus candidate” for the APC presidential ticket. Names like Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, and even Hon. Rotimi Amaechi were floated as possible options. The idea was to craft an elite agreement that would force Tinubu out of contention without a proper primary.
Notably, Yari, alongside some like-minds, flatly rejected this, insisting that all aspirants must go to the field. In several strategy meetings and party fora, he opposed any undemocratic consensus arrangement.
“We are not going to accept any consensus arrangement that sidelines other aspirants. Let every aspirant test his popularity. That is the democratic way,” Yari reportedly told party stakeholders in May, 2022.
Though he too was a presidential aspirant at the time, Yari’s opposition to the consensus gambit became a lifeline for Tinubu’s campaign. It helped to keep the race open, making it impossible for any backdoor deal to materialise, much as some northern elites accused him of ‘playing the spoiler to pave an easy in-road for an influential southern candidate’.
Interestingly, the political establishment in Abuja had hoped that northern governors and powerbrokers would rally behind Buhari’s preference, whoever that turned out to be. But Yari refused to play along.
He distanced himself from the “Villa cabal”, particularly those within the presidency, who saw Tinubu as a threat to their post-Buhari relevance. Unlike some northern elites, who suddenly became coy or silent, Yari didn’t hedge his bets.
Also, while some contestants in the presidential elections and major players in the APC defected to opposition parties or sat on the fence within, he never lagged in tenacity of support for policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda – from the most popular policies, to some that were earlier misconstrued as inimical to the north.
This refusal to fall in line with the anti-Tinubu campaign wasn’t without cost. He lost out on some political patronage. He was criticised in some quarters of the North for not aligning with the ‘Northern interest’, a euphemism for perpetuating northern control of the presidency. But he stood his ground, even in favour of a southerner.
Regrettably, one of the most strategic weapons fashioned against Tinubu in the lead-up to the 2023 elections came through policy, not politics. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) naira redesign policy, announced just months before the election, sparked chaos.
Endorsed by President Buhari, the policy created a debilitating cash scarcity across the country. In the eyes of the public, the widespread belief was that the policy was designed to weaken Tinubu’s base, which was known to rely heavily on market women, informal traders and grassroots mobilisers, most of whom deal in cash.
However, Senator Yari was one of the few northern voices who openly opposed the policy, warning that it would hurt the common man and destabilise the country’s fragile democracy.
“This policy is anti-people and ill-timed. It will hurt our democracy,” he said in Gusau in February, 2023, during the peak of the crisis believed to have been created by Tinubu’s opposition.
By joining governors like Nasir El-Rufai and Yahaya Bello in challenging the policy in court, Yari took a clear stand, not just for his people, but for Tinubu, who was the clear target of the economic chaos.
Following Tinubu’s victory at the polls, many who had previously undermined or distanced themselves from him began to scramble for relevance. Yari, by contrast, did not need to rebrand or realign, he had remained consistent, even if low-key.
While his subsequent ambition to become Senate President was perceived by some as a challenge to Tinubu’s preferred candidates, Yari maintained a respectful posture. He made it clear that his ambition was based on the Senate’s internal dynamics, not rebellion.
“There is no fight with the President. We are in the same family. We can have different preferences, but the bigger goal is the stability of our party and the progress of Nigeria.” He told journalists in June, 2023.
By August 2025, with political undercurrents shifting toward the 2027 elections, Yari once again made a defining move. At the high-level APC Northwest Stakeholders Meeting in Kaduna, he publicly declared support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, calling on the North to throw its weight behind the President.
In a hall packed with political figures, traditional leaders, and youth leaders, Yari delivered a forceful message of loyalty:
“We must not allow old wounds or new calculations to divide us. President Tinubu is our leader. He has earned our support. We must stand by him, not just in words, but in action. We must start now,” he said.
The statement was widely interpreted as a rallying cry to the North, signalling that Yari was ready to play the role of northern stabiliser for Tinubu’s 2027 campaign, much like what Tinubu did for Buhari in 2015.
In the zero-sum terrain of Nigerian politics, loyalty is often cheap. But timing defines its value. To stand with a candidate when it is safe to do so is expected. To stand with him when it is risky, costly, and unpopular, that is what defines political character.
Yari’s loyalty matters because he didn’t jump on a moving train. He helped ensure the tracks were laid in the first place. He stood against Buhari’s cabal, rejected elite manipulation, opposed policies designed to sabotage Tinubu and defended internal democracy in APC.
As 2027 approaches, Tinubu will need more than just fair-weather allies. He will need regional anchors like Yari, leaders with both grassroots reach and national vision. Yari fits that profile.
Yari is not without his flaws. He has been the subject of investigations and political controversies. But in the turbulent season leading up to Tinubu’s rise, Yari showed political courage, strategic foresight, and perhaps most importantly, loyalty, at a time when betrayal was more profitable.
His evolution from Zamfara governor to Senate power player and now northern defender of the Tinubu agenda offers a rich lesson in Nigerian politics: true loyalty is not loud; it is consistent.
And, in Yari, President Tinubu may have found one of the North’s most enduring political hawks, one who has refused to fly away when the weather became inclement.
