Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, has said his nearly four decades in Nigerian politics have not exposed him to a president with better plans for the country than President Bola Tinubu.
Masari, a former governor of Katsina State, made the remarks while addressing a group of women at a recent event reportedly held in Kaduna.
His comments were contained in a video published on Tuesday by HM Arewa, a Hausa-language media platform.
“Even if I were asked to swear, on my age and my political involvement for almost 40 years, I can confidently say I have never seen a president with better plans to make Nigeria great than Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I have simply never seen anyone like him,” Masari said.
He dismissed claims that the Tinubu administration had achieved little, arguing that similar criticisms had been directed at previous administrations.
According to Masari, former President Olusegun Obasanjo faced accusations of sectionalism and tribalism after his first four years in office, while the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan also faced similar criticisms.
He said the same pattern was now being repeated by critics of Tinubu.
“The people who claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done nothing are the kind of people who never appreciate when someone is doing well,” he said.
Masari also criticised the use of ethnic and religious sentiments in political discourse, questioning attempts to associate particular religions with specific ethnic groups.
“What surprises me about our people when they talk about religion is this: is religion exclusive to the Hausa, the Yoruba, or even the Igbo?” he asked.
With the 2027 general election approaching, he urged women preachers to use their influence to discourage divisive rhetoric within their families and communities.
“Each and every one of you knows how to talk to her husband or children better than anyone else can,” he said.
“This divisive talk is only being pushed by people who are deeply selfish.”
Masari served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 and was governor of Katsina State between 2015 and 2023.
In August, he was appointed Deputy Director-General, Parliamentary Mobilisation, of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has published the final list of 18 presidential candidates for the January 16, 2027 election.
