The Arewa Consultative Forum, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and other stakeholders attacked the Presidency for stating that President Bola Tinubu would stay in power till 2031.
Instead of obsessing over the 2027 election, the ACF admonished the Tinubu administration to focus on delivering good governance to Nigerians.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, stirred the hornet’s nest on Sunday when he urged northern political leaders preparing to run for the 2027 Presidency to put aside their ambitions and wait until 2031 when President Tinubu would have ended his second term.
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Speaking on a TVC programme, the SGF stated, “President Tinubu as a southerner should be allowed to have a second term, meaning that those eyeing the Presidency from the North in 2027 should look beyond that year by waiting till 2031.
“If it is the will of God for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to be President of Nigeria, even at the age of 90, he can get it. But he and other northerners eyeing the office now should look beyond 2027.”
However, responding to Akume’s statement, the ACF National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, told The PUNCH in an interview in Kaduna on Monday that it was too early to start debating the 2027 Presidency.
Mohammad-Baba emphasised that the ACF won’t take a partisan stance on who should be voted for or against, noting that its primary concern was the wellbeing of the electorate.
Atiku, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said that by 2027, the South will have had 17 years of leadership.
Atiku stated, “Where, then, does true equity and fairness reside? By the year 2027, the South would have enjoyed 17 years of leadership — eight years under Obasanjo, five years under Jonathan, and four years under Tinubu — while the North would have experienced only 11 years, with Yar’Adua serving three and Buhari eight. This resulted in a disparity of six years between the North and South, casting a shadow over the balance of power.
The Peoples Democratic Party described 2027 as a rescue mission, adding that no individual could halt another person’s political ambition.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, slammed Akume for attempting to undermine the ambitions of others for the benefit of President Tinubu.
