By a Concerned APC Member
The growing controversy surrounding Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Political Affairs, is becoming more than an internal political dispute. It raises a wider question for the Presidency: are influential political actors around President Tinubu strengthening his relationship with Northern Nigeria, or creating political liabilities that could weaken him ahead of 2027?
This concern is particularly important because President Tinubu has continued to emphasise economic recovery, job creation, youth empowerment, investment, infrastructure and expanded opportunities for Nigerians. While these efforts have not eliminated the hardship facing many households, the danger is that controversies involving individuals close to the Presidency could undermine the goodwill the administration is attempting to build.
The reported 11 September 2026 police operation at JKD TV/Hamada Radio Network in Kaduna has intensified these concerns. Police reportedly arrested the station’s General Manager, Charles Abah, and a security guard while searching for journalist Zainab Salihu Yabagi over a video concerning Masari. Amnesty International condemned the reported operation and warned against intimidation of independent media. If journalists and citizens begin to believe that scrutinising powerful political figures can attract security attention, the consequences will extend beyond the individuals involved and ultimately affect confidence in the government itself. Political influence must never be allowed to appear as political ownership of state institutions.
Similar concerns have emerged in Katsina following reports that Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s ADC and Chief Security Officer were detained at Force Headquarters amid political tensions within the Katsina APC. Although allegations connecting the development directly to Masari have not been conclusively established publicly, the optics remain damaging. Security institutions should never appear to be instruments of internal political rivalry, particularly where an elected governor is involved.
Governor Radda has nevertheless maintained considerable restraint, focusing publicly on governance, development and his relationship with President Tinubu. That patience should not be mistaken for weakness. Radda is the elected Governor of a strategically important Northern state whose mandate derives from the people. Any perceived attempt to undermine his authority through political pressure, administrative manoeuvring or security institutions could instead increase public sympathy for him and generate resentment against those perceived to be responsible.
The North is politically observant and capable of distinguishing between loyalty to President Tinubu and loyalty to individual figures around him. Northern voters remember perceived injustice, humiliation and selective use of state institutions. President Tinubu therefore has a direct interest in ensuring that his advisers strengthen his political alliances rather than create unnecessary conflicts. When political aides begin to appear more powerful than the institutions they serve, they risk becoming liabilities to the President.
Political optics surrounding wealth and privilege are equally important. Public discussions concerning Masari have included claims of private-jet and helicopter travel and the reported distribution of approximately ₦300 million. These claims require proper verification and should not be treated as established facts without evidence. Nevertheless, conspicuous displays of wealth by politically connected figures can be politically damaging when millions of Nigerians are struggling with food prices, transportation costs, unemployment, education and healthcare. The issue is less about wealth itself than the perception of entitlement and disconnection from ordinary citizens.
This creates a potentially damaging contradiction for the Presidency. While President Tinubu seeks to promote a message of economic recovery, employment and opportunity, controversies involving political intimidation, institutional influence and conspicuous privilege could create a competing narrative. The President should be using his political capital to explain his reforms and demonstrate their benefits, rather than having that capital consumed by controversies involving individual aides.
There must therefore remain a clear distinction between access to the Presidency and the authority of the Presidency, political influence and control of state institutions, and defending one’s reputation and suppressing legitimate criticism. If improper political interference is established in the JKD incident, it would raise serious questions about abuse of public power. If the police have legitimate evidence of an offence, they should follow due process and allow the law to take its course transparently.
For President Tinubu, the greatest Northern political threat may therefore come not only from the opposition but from perceptions that his administration tolerates political intimidation, selective use of state institutions, excessive privilege or unchecked political intermediaries. Katsina is particularly important in this calculation, and Governor Radda’s restraint should encourage dialogue and institutional respect rather than further escalation.
Ultimately, the 2027 election will be determined by public confidence, not merely appointments, defections, campaign structures, political spending or powerful intermediaries. President Tinubu still has an opportunity to ensure that his economic, employment and development agenda remains the dominant story of his administration, but this requires discipline around the Presidency, respect for elected governors, restraint in the use of state institutions, protection of legitimate media scrutiny and political humility.
No adviser is bigger than the President, the Constitution, Nigeria’s institutions or the people. Governor Radda’s patience should not be mistaken for weakness. If political ego, perceived institutional overreach, conspicuous privilege and allegations of security agencies being drawn into political disputes continue unchecked, the consequences could extend beyond Masari and Katsina to the Presidency itself and by 2027, the critical question may become:
Who made the North lose faith?