….Insists on Power Rotation, North Must Wait Till 2031
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his 2027 presidential ambition.
He insisted the North must wait until 2031 before seeking to reclaim the presidency, in line with the 1999 political power-rotation understanding.
Akume expressed surprise that Atiku, whom he identified as one of the political leaders involved in the original agreement to alternate presidential power between the North and South, was seeking to return the presidency to the North barely four years after former President Muhammadu Buhari completed his eight-year tenure.
He warned that pursuing personal political ambitions at the expense of longstanding political understandings could undermine Nigeria’s unity, democratic stability, and national cohesion.
The SGF spoke in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the Miyetti Allah Fulaku Yesoyeso, led by its National President, Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman.
A statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, said Akume maintained that President Bola Tinubu deserved the opportunity to seek a second term in 2027, allowing the South to complete another eight-year cycle before power returned to the North in 2031.
Recalling the political understanding reached by governors-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kaduna in 1999, Akume said the arrangement was intended to promote fairness, political inclusion and national stability.
He explained that the meeting, held under the leadership of the late Chief Solomon Lar, with the late Adamu Ciroma serving as the party’s deputy national chairman, established the principle of alternating presidential leadership between the North and South in eight-year cycles.
According to him, the understanding had provided an important framework for managing Nigeria’s political diversity and preventing sectional competition from undermining national unity.
“And I told them, our son, may his soul rest in peace, Muhammadu Buhari, did eight years from the North. We have to now move to the South and do eight years.
“I was surprised that Atiku, who was in that meeting and agreed, is now running for president after Buhari did eight years from the North.
“This is not the time for the North. The North will come into contest in 2031. That is what has stabilised this country”, Akume declared.
The former Benue State governor traced the country’s presidential succession since the return to democratic rule in 1999, arguing that the North-South rotation principle had substantially influenced the distribution of political power.
He cited former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight years in office, the emergence of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the subsequent presidency of Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari’s eight-year administration as illustrations of the arrangement.
“Eight years in the South, eight years in the North. I want you to hear this. Eight years in the South, eight years in the North, eight years in the South, eight years in the North.
“Obasanjo did eight years. Yar’Adua took over; unfortunately, he died. Jonathan took over and did six years.
“After Jonathan, Buhari from the North did eight years. Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over from Buhari. He has just done four years; therefore, he has four years left”, he said, referring to the completion of Tinubu’s first term in 2027.
Akume insisted that northern political leaders should show patience and respect the rotational arrangement rather than disrupt it for personal advantage.
He argued that the country’s democratic stability required politicians to honour established understandings and subordinate individual ambitions to national interests.
“Let’s not make any mistake. Don’t do anything that will destroy this country, because we will suffer more.
“Personal ambition should not destroy our country. Wait for your turn”, he warned.
The SGF maintained that the North would be free to field any qualified candidate of its choice in 2031, when the South would have completed an eight-year presidential cycle if Tinubu secured re-election.
He said adherence to the arrangement would strengthen confidence among Nigeria’s diverse political constituencies and reduce the tensions associated with competition for presidential power.
Reflecting on his political experience, Akume recalled opposing the Third Term agenda during the administration of former President Obasanjo, describing it as an example of the sacrifices politicians must sometimes make in defence of democratic principles.
He urged political stakeholders to rise above sectional considerations, electoral calculations and personal interests to safeguard the country’s democratic institutions.
According to him, political leadership must be guided by restraint, patriotism and a commitment to protecting the interests of future generations.
Akume also commended the Miyetti Allah Fulaku Yesoyeso for its grassroots mobilisation in support of President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He described the association’s activities as demonstrating its commitment to inclusive governance and national development.
The SGF assured the delegation that the President remained determined to consolidate ongoing infrastructure development and other government interventions aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians.
