Northern Nigeria Elders Threaten To Kill Anyone Who Rigs The 2027 Elections In The North

On April 22, 2025, @SabinaNkiru, made a post on X which had an image of Northern elders and traditional rulers in a meeting. The claim captioned in the post reads, “Whoever comes to the North to rig elections in 2027, Northerner or not, will return to his family in body bags – Northern Elders.”

The post had garnered about 380,000 views as of the time this report was published. In the comment section, @FadaChristmas_ wrote “These people have been issuing threats since a southerner became president, we see the bullsh!t” while @QUEENOFDBLUES1 said “It's a lie. Just promise them that you'll support their Muslim agenda and they'll gladly run with you. Press their mumu button dassol.”

Similar claims about Northern elders threatening that anyone who rigs the next elections in the Northern region will be killed were found in this Facebook post, this Instagram post, this post on Threads and this other X tweet.

VERIFICATION

A Google reverse image search of the image shows that it was first published on the internet on July 27, 2017, about 8 years before this claim attributed to the Northern Elders was posted, and they are mainly Northern traditional rulers. The picture was taken when governors from the Northern region held a meeting with Northern traditional rulers in Kaduna state. A look at the pictures showed positive identity of the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II (before he was deposed from the throne), and Lamido of Adamawa Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa.

While a report on the meeting shows a cross-section of traditional leaders from the North, another image in the report also shows a line-up of sitting Northern governors at the time. This includes Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State; Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State; Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State; and Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State. Some of these governors served two-term while others went on to become senators. The image used in the claim dates back to 2017 as against the insinuation that the meeting was held recently and was about the forthcoming 2027 elections.

Further search revealed that several prominent blocs of stakeholders from the North have expressed concern and displeasure against the Tinubu administration. The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, through its spokesperson Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, expressed regret over the region’s support for President Tinubu in the 2023 general elections. Suleiman stated that the North made a mistake in voting for Tinubu and emphasized that the region would prioritize unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the 2027 elections.

Also, the Katsina Elders Forum issued a warning to President Tinubu, stating that if he continues with plans to relocate certain national institutions from Abuja to Lagos, they would not support his re-election in 2027. They described such moves as “unconstitutional” and “anti-North,” expressing concerns that these actions could undermine the growth and stability of the Northern region. 

While these statements are critical of the Tinubu administration and pointing towards a rethinking of the North’s positioning for the 2027 general elections, none of it has categorically implied an intent to kill anyone for rigging during the elections. Though these statements have nonetheless drawn criticism from prominent individuals and groups from the North. This includes the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, who described the NEF’s threats on the 2027 elections as “reprehensible and naive,” accusing the group of seeking political relevance and attempting to create disunity among Nigerians.

In the same vein, the Katsina Elders Forum later clarified that a previous statement threatening not to support President Tinubu over the arrest of Prof. Usman Yusuf was unauthorized and did not represent the forum’s position. They emphasized that the forum is not a political group and dissociated themselves from the earlier threat. So, there is no credible evidence that any recognized group of Northern elders in Nigeria has issued a statement on killing whoever comes to the North to rig elections in 2027.

CONCLUSION 

The claim that elders from the northern part of Nigeria have threatened that anyone who rigs the next elections in their region will be killed is FALSE. Findings show there is no credible evidence that any recognized group of northern Nigeria elders or traditional rulers has issued such a statement, although they have expressed regret over supporting Tinubu.