Masari: Tinubu's Man in the North ‎

When President Bola Tinubu promoted Alhaji Ibrahim Kabiru Masari from Senior Special Assistant to Special Adviser on Political Affairs in March 2026, it confirmed what many in Nigeria's political circles already knew: Masari has become one of the most influential politicians close to the president, and arguably his most trusted operative in northern Nigeria.

From placeholder to power broker
Masari's rise traces back to the 2023 election cycle, when he served as Tinubu's temporary running mate during the campaign buildup, a role widely described as "placeholder." Investigations by Daily Trust found that he has since become the prime mover of political events connected to the president, and is undoubtedly the closest politician to Tinubu in northern Nigeria.

A Katsina-born politician, Masari built his influence through structures within the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he served as welfare secretary during Adams Oshiomhole's tenure as national chairman.

Tinubu first appointed him Senior Special Assistant on Political Affairs in 2023, before elevating him to Special Adviser in March 2026, a promotion announced by Bayo Onanuga, the presidency's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.

He now works alongside Alhaji Yau Darazo, who holds a parallel Special Adviser role on political affairs, appointed in July 2023.

A shifting centre of gravity
Masari's ascent has reportedly come at the expense of an older political relationship. Sources told Daily Trust that political influence in the north once belonged more clearly to Senator Abu Ibrahim, who Tinubu became close to as a fellow senator in 1992.

Masari, by contrast, built his standing through party structures and a direct working relationship with the president rather than decades-old personal ties.

Within Katsina State specifically, sources describe Masari and Governor Dikko Umaru Radda as occupying different but overlapping spaces: Radda controls the machinery of the state government and the APC's state structures, while Masari has direct access to the presidency and a prominent national role.

That overlap has not been without friction. One episode that intensified speculation about tension between the two camps involved the destruction of billboards bearing images of Tinubu and Masari along the Modoji junction-to-Government House road in Katsina, an incident serious enough that two senior security aides attached to Radda were invited to the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja for questioning.

What the role means
As Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Masari sits close to the machinery that manages the president's relationships within the ruling party and across the political landscape, particularly in northern Nigeria, a region critical to any national coalition.

His trajectory, from a symbolic placeholder candidacy to one of the president's most consequential political lieutenants, illustrates how quickly loyalty and grassroots organising within the APC can translate into real proximity to power.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
Daily Trust, "Masari: Tinubu's point man" (https://dailytrust.com/masari-tinubus-point-man/)

The Cable, "Tinubu promotes Ibrahim Masari from SSA to special adviser on political affairs" (https://www.thecable.ng/tinubu-promotes-ibrahim-masari-from-ssa-to-special-adviser-on-political-affairs/)

State House, Abuja, "President Tinubu Promotes Ibrahim Masari As Special Adviser" (https://statehouse.gov.ng/president-tinubu-promotes-ibrahim-masari-as-special-adviser/)

The Guardian Nigeria, "Tinubu promotes Masari as Special Adviser on Political Affairs" (https://guardian.ng/news/tinubu-promotes-masari-as-special-adviser-on-political-affairs/)

Vanguard, "Tinubu promotes Masari as Special Adviser on Political Affairs" (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/03/tinubu-promotes-masari-as-special-adviser-on-political-affairs/)

The News Chronicle, "Tinubu Appoints Ibrahim Kabiru Masari As Special Adviser On Political Affairs" (https://thenews-chronicle.com/tinubu-appoints-ibrahim-kabiru-masari-as-special-adviser-on-political-affairs/)