Northern Youth Forum Endorses President Tinubu for Second Term, Pledges Financial Support

By Zainab Uzomah

The Northern Nigeria Youth Leaders Forum (NNYLF) has formally endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term, following a youth leadership and stakeholder engagement held in Abuja on Monday. The gathering brought together youth leaders, professionals, grassroots organisers and political stakeholders from across the North to review national development under the Renewed Hope Agenda and to launch the Renewed Hope Ambassadors initiative.

In a communiqué co-signed by the Forum’s National Leader, Gamji Murtala, and Director of Operations, Dr Agbana John, the group said young people remained central to national stability and democratic consolidation. It noted growing demand for structured youth inclusion in governance and said youth-led platforms were helping to strengthen political education, grassroots mobilisation, peacebuilding and national integration across Nigeria.

Speaking during the engagement, NNYLF National Leader Murtala Muhammad Garba (popularly known as Gamji) said the Forum, with the backing of its Board of Trustees, grand patrons and northern stakeholders, had resolved to contribute ₦200 million towards President Tinubu’s re-election effort. He explained that the funds would be held in trust until the sale of nomination forms begins. “We have decided to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with ₦200 million under the custody of our BOTs and other leaders. When they decide to sell the form, we are coming out to purchase the form for Mr President for his second term because we believe in the unity of Nigeria,” he said.

Garba added that the Forum’s decision was also rooted in what he described as a long-standing political understanding between former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Tinubu, arguing that the South should complete its eight-year cycle before power returns to the North. He said youth leaders, tribal representatives, Muslims and Christians from all 19 northern states were present at the event, alongside guests from the South. “We believe in what he is doing in terms of security, agriculture and infrastructure,” he said, citing road projects from Sokoto to Badagry, and from Bauchi to Taraba, Benue, Kaduna and Kano. He insisted the Forum’s support reflected genuine sentiment in the region. “The faces you see are not hired or chartered crowd… We believe Tinubu will have the highest vote in northern Nigeria,” he added.

In its resolutions, the NNYLF said the endorsement was aimed at ensuring continuity in reforms and long-term national development. It pledged peaceful, coordinated and issue-based mobilisation across the North and called for stronger youth representation in policy and governance at all levels. It also announced the institutionalisation of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Platform to drive policy advocacy, leadership development and community engagement.

The Forum urged Nigerian youths to play constructive roles in nation-building and called on public institutions to deepen youth-inclusive governance frameworks. It appealed to development partners to collaborate with credible youth-led organisations to scale impact-driven programmes. The group reaffirmed its commitment to promoting peace, rejecting political violence and strengthening partnerships that advance stability, leadership and youth empowerment across Northern Nigeria.