The North’s Role In Tinubu’s Victory In 2023
BY SHAMSUDEEN IBRAHIM
In every political cycle, narratives are often shaped not by facts but by sentiments, bias, and strategic misinformation. One of such narratives, especially after the 2023 presidential elections, is the claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory was not predominantly backed by the North.
This assertion, mostly spread by political Area Boys and agenda-driven commentators, aims to diminish the undeniable influence and contribution of the northern electorate. But as history demands, records must be kept straight — with data, not emotion.
Let’s begin with the figures from the North Central (often referred to as the Middle Belt by those seeking to separate it from the core North):
Nasarawa State: 172,922 votes
Niger State: 375,183 votes
Benue State: 310,468 votes
FCT Abuja: 90,902 votes
Kogi State: 240,751 votes
Kwara State: 263,572 votes
Plateau State: 307,195 votes
Total for North Central: 1,760,993 votes
Now, here’s where the distortion begins. Some would rather isolate the Middle Belt from the North — whether by religion, ethnicity, or geography — just to water down the North’s overall contribution.
But even if we set aside the 1.76 million votes from the North Central and accept their claim at face value, the numbers remain telling.
The North West and North East regions alone delivered 3,837,693 votes to Tinubu — still more than the entire Southern regions combined. For reference, the total from the three southern zones (South West, South East, and South South) amounted to 3,196,040 votes.
Let’s focus on the South West, a region expected to deliver block votes for their son:
Ekiti: 201,494
Osun: 343,945
Ondo: 369,924
Ogun: 341,554
Oyo: 449,884
Lagos: 572,606
Total South West: 2,279,407 votes
Yet the North West alone gave Tinubu 2,652,235 votes — surpassing even the heartland of his political base.
So, what’s the point?
Even if the Middle Belt is carved out of the North for argument’s sake, the core North (North West and North East) still outperformed the South in total votes for Tinubu. This exposes the flaw and cheap deceit in the claim that “the North didn’t make Tinubu president.”
The North gave him over 60% of his total votes, a staggering fact that no amount of post-election propaganda can erase 5,598,686 votes.
The attempt to separate “chaff from stone” only ends up confirming the North’s massive electoral strength and loyalty.
When next someone tries to peddle the fallacy that the North didn’t contribute substantially to Tinubu’s rise, remind them of the numbers. Let the facts silence the fiction.
We’re not just citizens — we are keepers of history.
