Akume cites 1999 rotation pact to back Tinubu’s re-election bid

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has argued that President Bola Tinubu should serve a second term in 2027, invoking a 1999 power-rotation understanding between northern and southern political leaders to insist that the presidency should remain in the South until 2031.

Akume said the arrangement provides for eight years of presidential leadership in each region, arguing that the North should wait until Tinubu completes a second term before seeking to reclaim the presidency.

He made the position known on Saturday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, at a rally organised by the North-Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) zone endorsed Tinubu as its sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

Addressing party leaders and supporters, Akume recalled that political leaders agreed in Kaduna in 1999 to rotate power between the North and South for eight-year periods.

He cited the eight years served by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who left office in 2023, as a precedent for Tinubu to complete the South’s turn.

“Today, Asiwaju is expected to serve eight years. In 2031, northerners can field over 1,000 candidates,” Akume said, urging northern politicians seeking the presidency in 2027 to defer their ambitions.

The former Benue State governor also moved a motion for the North-Central APC to adopt Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate. Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule seconded the motion on behalf of governors and other political stakeholders in the region.

The endorsement signals an effort by APC leaders in the North-Central zone to consolidate support for Tinubu as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 election.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who also addressed the rally, urged Nigerians to support her husband’s re-election, saying the administration was moving from difficult economic reforms towards delivering tangible benefits to citizens.

She cited what she described as improvements in economic stability, infrastructure development and investment prospects, while highlighting government initiatives in healthcare, food support and education.

The First Lady also encouraged students to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and called on APC supporters to mobilise voters for the president and other party candidates.

APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda urged voters in the region to support Tinubu, pointing to federal infrastructure projects and political appointments as reasons for backing the administration.

Governor Sule also defended the president’s performance, citing oil production, foreign reserves, capital-market growth, student loans and infrastructure development.

The rally comes ahead of the planned inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on October 14. Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who is expected to serve as the council’s director-general, said campaign activities were scheduled to begin with a rally in Kaduna on October 24, followed by engagements in Port Harcourt and Maiduguri.

Akume’s argument rests on a political understanding rather than an explicit constitutional provision.

Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution does not prescribe an eight-year North-South rotation of the presidency, although zoning and power-sharing have featured prominently in the country’s political arrangements since the return to democratic rule.