by Mohammed Bello Doka
21 March, 2025
For decades, Northern Nigeria looked to one towering figure for political cohesion and moral authority — former President Muhammadu Buhari. Since his death in July 2025, that once‑solid North‑centric political axis has fractured into a vacuum of power, identity and direction. The question echoing through the marketplaces of Kano, the mosques of Kaduna and the political salons of Abuja is this: Who now speaks for the North? After years of internal drift, the answer to that question is gradually emerging, irresistibly and unapologetically, in the figure of Nasir El‑Rufai.
Buhari was more than a politician; he was a symbol — a northern Muslim son elevated to the presidency three times by the unwavering loyalty of Northern constituencies. His appeal was built on regional identity, perceived integrity, and an image of discipline that resonated deeply with the conservative and predominantly Muslim populations of the North. Buhari’s enduring following spanned decades and helped shape the political landscape of the region. Even when his government faced criticism, his core northern base remained steadfast — an unprecedented phenomenon in Nigeria’s fractious politics.
Indeed, tributes poured in from across Northern Nigeria at his passing, with clerics, community leaders and ordinary citizens describing him as a father figure whose leadership “transcended politics and veered into the spiritual.” Many praised his unwavering commitment to national unity, discipline and service — qualities that made him a rare unifying force long after his tenure ended.
But Buhari’s influence was not just an emotional bond; it was a political reality. For a generation, his imprimatur shaped Northern voting patterns, elite alliances, and the region’s engagement with the federal project. With his departure, a vacuum inevitably followed — one that no single governor or emir could immediately fill.
Yet in the midst of the turbulence enveloping Nigeria’s current political landscape — marked most recently by the prolonged detention of El‑Rufai by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission — the North seems to be knitting together a new political consensus around a figure once dismissed by many as too controversial for national leadership.
This emerging alignment is unprecedented in recent memory: for the first time in a long while, the traditional establishment and opposing religious formations are speaking with a unified voice about a single political leader’s fate.
The gravitas of this development cannot be overstated. At the apex of traditional authority stands Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar IV, the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims and the de facto head of the traditional leadership hierarchy in the North. As President‑General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the Sultan carries unparalleled moral weight. His pronouncements are not merely ceremonial; they influence emirs, religious scholars and lay adherents across the region. In March 2026, he broke the usual public reluctance of traditional leaders to comment directly on politically sensitive legal matters, urging that El‑Rufai be either formally charged or released — a far‑reaching statement underscoring both legal propriety and regional solidarity.
Alongside the Sultan, Professor Maqari — the Chief Imam of the National Mosque in Abuja — represents another pillar of Northern moral authority. As a leading figure in the Sufi tariqa movement, his influence extends deep into the spiritual fabric of Northern Islam. The tariqa tradition in Nigeria emphasizes inner spirituality, education and communal cohesion; it has played a significant historical role in the religious life of the region, offering a mystical, community‑oriented expression of Islam that has shaped generations of scholars and lay believers alike. That the Chief Imam would resonate with calls for justice and fair treatment reflects a significant convergence of spiritual priorities with political discourse.
In contrast with the spiritual Sufi orientation of the Chief Imam, Shaikh Sanusi Khalil, a prominent Izala cleric, brings another theological perspective into the public square. The Izala movement, historically rooted in a Salafi‑inspired rejection of what it views as innovations in practice and a call for scriptural purity, has been a dominant force in Northern Islamic discourse for decades. Its influence among the rank and file of Muslim communities cannot be overstated. That both Sufi‑aligned and Izala leadership would publicly endorse the same foundational demand — that El‑Rufai be either charged or released — signals a remarkable moment of consensus across otherwise divergent religious lines.
Yes, there are many voices in Northern public life — politicians, elders’ groups, business leaders and academics all contribute to the ferment of opinion. But the voices of these three figures — the Sultan, the Chief Imam of the National Mosque, and the Izala cleric — have emerged as representative of mainstream Northern political and religious elite sentiment. Their stature, history, and influence make their positions far more than just social media talking points; they are bellwethers of elite consensus.
And it is this rare alignment — of traditional authority and religious leadership across theological divides — that marks a critical shift. Never before has the North seen leaders from the traditional establishment and both major religious currents publicly converge behind a single figure’s narrative to this degree.
Into this vacuum steps El‑Rufai — a figure once dismissed by many within and outside the North as too divisive for national leadership. Yet in adversity he is finding unexpected elevation. His ongoing detention, now over 30 days without arraignment on corruption allegations, has become a rallying point for conversations about justice, dignity and political identity in the North. The call — succinctly framed as “arraign him or release him” — resonates with historical Northern values of due process and fair treatment under the law.
In El‑Rufai’s case, his critics may argue about his political style, his policy record, or his confrontational tone. But what is undeniable is that the current political moment has forced a reevaluation of leadership archetypes in Northern Nigeria. When the region’s most revered traditional leader, the Sultan, publicly advocates for his legal rights, and both Sufi and Izala voices concur, something deeper is at work: a recognition that the North seeks principled, assertive leadership capable of navigating federal politics, protecting regional interests, and commanding respect across Nigeria’s complex political landscape.
Some might ask: Why not Vice President Kashim Shettima? By virtue of office, Shettima ought to be the de facto political leader of the North. But his marginalization within the current federal administration — often reduced to ceremonial roles while key decisions happen elsewhere — has left the North searching for a substantive political voice. In El‑Rufai, many are now seeing someone unafraid to articulate Northern concerns, challenge perceived injustice, and engage directly with national power structures — attributes that echo, however imperfectly, the leadership style once embodied by Buhari himself.
If the lessons of history teach us anything, it is that leadership vacuums never remain empty. They are filled by those ready, willing and unapologetic in pursuit of influence and direction. In the unfolding political narrative of the North, El‑Rufai is emerging as the likely inheritor of the Buhari political mantle — not by inheritance or entitlement, but by conviction, conflict and the unmistakable momentum of public affirmation.
For the North, this is not merely about a single governor’s detention. It is about the search for a new standard‑bearer, a leader who can bridge traditional authority, religious legitimacy and political assertiveness in ways that resonate both within the region and across Nigeria. In a moment of existential questioning about its place in the federal equation, the North may have found — in the travails of Nasir El‑Rufai — an unexpected blessing: a rallying point and a leadership horizon worthy of collective aspiration.
In the months ahead, as the 2027 general elections loom, this alignment could well redefine not just Northern politics, but the shape of Nigerian national leadership itself.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
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