A prominent political figure in northern Nigeria has urged the country’s former military heads of state and elder statesmen to lend their support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s initiatives aimed at promoting national peace and security.
Khamis Musa Darazo, a political leader from Bauchi State and a known loyalist of President Tinubu, made the appeal in a statement issued to journalists. He specifically called on General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (retired), former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Yakubu Gowon, and Abdulsalami Abubakar to collaborate with the current administration.
Describing the group as “Guardians of Nigeria’s history, unity, and statecraft,” Darazo stressed that their combined wisdom and moral authority are crucial at this time. “At this defining moment in our nation’s journey, I call on TY Danjuma, Obasanjo, IBB, Gowon, and Abdulsalami Abubakar to join hands with President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he stated. “Their wisdom and counsel are essential to ensuring lasting peace across Nigeria.”
Darazo noted that President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has placed a priority on security and peace-building. However, he argued that achieving sustainable stability requires a unified national leadership that merges the experience of past leaders with the present administration’s vision. He highlighted that each elder statesman cited has, at various points, played a pivotal role in preserving Nigeria’s territorial unity.
“Their collective voice carries moral authority and will strengthen public confidence in the government’s security initiatives,” Darazo added. He framed peace as a collective responsibility, achievable only through collaboration and reconciliation beyond political, regional, or personal divides.
The appeal underscores a perceived need for broader consensus in addressing Nigeria’s complex security challenges, which include persistent insurgency, banditry, and communal violence. By invoking the legacy of figures who have governed Nigeria through military and civilian rule, Darazo’s statement seeks to foster a sense of historical continuity and national unity behind the current government’s efforts.
The call represents an attempt to build a跨-party, cross-generational coalition for peace, positioning support for Tinubu’s security agenda as a patriotic duty. The response from the elder statesmen, if any, would be closely watched as an indicator of national cohesion.
