According to a report by Thisdaylive, on Thursday, September 10, 2026, Convener of the League of Northern Democrats and a major promoter of the All-Democratic Alliance (ADA), Dr Umar Ardo, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of giving greater attention to the South, especially the South-west, in the sharing of federal resources, political appointments and other government opportunities.
Ardo made the allegation while speaking during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme aired on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
He said, "if free and fair elections were conducted in 2027, Tinubu might get less than 10 per cent of the northern votes."
During the interview, Ardo reviewed the performance of the Tinubu administration in Northern Nigeria and discussed what he described as the possible political consequences of the government's policies ahead of the 2027 general election.
He argued that the difference between the North and South could be seen in the amount of money actually released to federal ministries, despite the figures contained in the approved national budget.
According to Ardo, budgetary allocations alone should not be used to determine whether different regions are receiving a fair share of government resources.
He maintained that attention should also be paid to the funds that are eventually released to ministries and government agencies.
He further alleged that several federal parastatals had been given to people from the South, which, in his view, had contributed to the feeling among some Northerners that the region was not receiving equal treatment from the present administration.
The northern political figure stressed that assessing the Tinubu administration should go beyond simply counting the number of political appointments allocated to each region.
He said the distribution of government resources, opportunities and important positions should also form part of such an assessment.
Ardo also raised concerns about the distribution of key political appointments under the current administration.
He said the pattern of appointments had contributed to a feeling of exclusion among some people in Northern Nigeria.
He noted that Nigeria's ethnic and geographical diversity makes the issue of political representation particularly sensitive.
According to him, appointments are often viewed from a regional and ethnic perspective, especially when people believe that certain areas are receiving more important positions than others.
He also pointed to the debate surrounding the classification of some states in discussions about Northern Nigeria.
Ardo said the issue becomes more complicated when states such as Kwara and Kogi are included in the North, despite their strong Yoruba cultural and linguistic ties.
His comments come amid growing political discussions ahead of the 2027 general election, with questions over regional representation, government appointments and the distribution of federal resources expected to remain important issues in the political debate.
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