The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement in the Northwest, Abdullahi Yakasai, has described claims that the North has withdrawn its support for the president as negative statements from the opposition parties.

Yakasai made this known during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, dismissing the speculation that Tinubu has lost Northern support.

Yakasai insisted that President Tinubu still has the strong backing of the North ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

He stated, “For one to say that the political base and the support Mr President has been having is no more there in the Northwest, I think these are just political negative statements.

“Honestly, what Mr. President has done, I think the northern part of this country should be happy.”

Reacting to the concerns over worsening living conditions, Yakasai stated that President Tinubu had taken key steps to strengthen governance and development at the grassroots level.

He argued that many responsibilities for citizens’ welfare fall to state and local governments, not solely to the federal government.

Meanwhile, former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has promised to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but work for the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in June 2026 and Tinubu in 2027.

Fayose made the commitment on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti during the grand finale of the campaign tour of Oyebanji ahead of the June 20 gubernatorial election.

According to him, though he remains a member of the PDP, he and others like him will work for the re-election of Oyebanji and Tinubu, who are both members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justifying his decision, the former Governor argued that the good work both men are doing must be allowed to continue.

He also said there is no opposition that can match what the two men have achieved in office.