The Director-general, Presidential Support Organisation, Umar Jijiwa, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure re-election in 2027, arguing that the President’s political strategy and popularity place him ahead of potential rivals despite concerns over insecurity and governance challenges.
He said this while speaking with ARISE NEWS in an interview on Friday.
“I think as President, he’s going to win, not just simply because of the fact that he’s popular, but also when you look at strategy,” he said.
He added that Nigeria, under President Tinubu is doing its best to tackle insecurity, as it not peculiar to just Nigeria.
“When you look at a few things that have been happening when it comes to security issues all over the world, you would have to just see that we are going to do our best, as we are doing now. But I think that they can do better, not because they were not doing better before, but because the reward for hard work is more work. I believe they’re doing very well.”
Jijiwa insisted that among the likely contenders for the presidency, Tinubu remains the strongest option available to Nigerians.
“The question is this: who else should be considered? You know, I mean, amongst the ones that we have, he is the best,” he stated.
On the debate over religion and political representation, Comrade Jijiwa acknowledged that religious sentiments influenced voting patterns in the 2023 elections, he maintained that religion should be removed from politics, describing its continued use as a dangerous trend for the country.
“In the last elections, some people voted based on their own bias and based on religious matters. But for me, I believe we need to take religion out of politics. It is too dangerous for us to keep it inside politics.
“You see, the quality of a man and his efficiency to rule anything shouldn’t come from his religion or what he does. No, it should come from his capacity and his ability to lead a nation, to groom the next generation, to grow this country from where it is,” he urged.
Stressing that Nigerians are more than electoral numbers, Jijiwa argued that the focus should be on leadership and accountability rather than religious or demographic calculations.
“I believe Nigerians should be more than numbers. Nigerians are real people, and they need leadership. Nigerians need leadership. Yes, we are having a hard time now in this country based on some things that have happened, and of course, some measures that the President has taken that have made life a bit harder for some people, in the hopes that the future will be better. But at the end of the day, Nigerians are not just figures. Nigerians are Nigerians,” he stressed.
Addressing concerns over rising poverty and hardship across Nigeria, Jijiwa said the problem predates the current administration and pointed to initiatives such as the student loan scheme and CreditCorp as measures aimed at easing economic pressures and expanding opportunities for Nigerians.
“Poverty is a serious issue in Nigeria, not today. It did not start yesterday. It did not even start during Buhari. It did not start during Jonathan or Yar’Adua. Poverty has been a serious issue in this nation.
“When it comes to poverty, I believe the President has done one or two things to help. How? At least now, we have people that don’t have to pay their school fees. In fact, they even get pocket money for them to even send home from time to time. Even when they are on holiday, they still receive that money, that pocket money, from that fund. We have CreditCorp for young people that want to go into business,” he highlighted.
Commenting on the recent remarks by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on hunger in Nigeria, Jijiwa acknowledged the existence of widespread hardship and insisted that President Tinubu remains aware of the challenges facing ordinary Nigerians.
“There is hunger. Yes, perhaps Bayo Onanuga might have said that. In every single speech the President has ever made—there is one thing it has in common. He always says to Nigeria, ‘Please, bear with us. We know that you’re struggling. We know that you’re hungry. We know, but we have to take these measures that we’re taking so that we can be able to pull Nigeria out.’
“So, Bayo Onanuga making that statement—it’s just Bayo Onanuga making that statement. Because the President, when he makes it by himself, he always looks into that issue of hunger, poverty, and the problems that Nigerians are facing on a daily basis,” he insisted.
On the debate over state policing, Jijiwa backed the creation of state, neighbourhood and community policing structures, arguing that broader local participation and stronger traditional institutions are necessary to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges.
“I see the need for state police. And let’s not deceive ourselves. If you’re in government today and you use state police to your effect, you will be out of government tomorrow, and it will be used against you. And that is a fact.
“But what I’m talking about here is that we need state policing. Not only state policing—if we can even get neighborhood policing, we need it. If we can get civilian policing, we need it. We have to drag the traditional institutions into the game. We have to give them a constitutional responsibility because they are the ones that actually have the institutional knowledge of most of this country. We have to also give that a go,” he suggested.
Speaking on President Tinubu’s prospects in northern Nigeria, Jijiwa expressed confidence in the President’s popularity in the region and argued that electoral success depends on political strategy and meeting constitutional requirements rather than regional voting blocs alone.
“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is still popular in the North. He has enough to win. He has enough to win. There might be an advantage in the North due to the numbers of people, but I believe when you look at political strategy—you look at it critically—you will see that he has enough to win. You can have more than me in votes, in numbers of votes, but if you are unable to reach the constitutional threshold, you have wasted your time. That is strategy. So you are not looking for everybody to love you, no. You only need enough to win,” he emphasised.
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