3 months ago
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Former federal lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, Senator Shehu Sani, has offered his perspective on President Bola Tinubu’s potential re-election bid in 2027.
In a recent interview with The Punch in Kaduna State, Sani argued that candidates from the southern region should contest the 2027 election, suggesting that the North could then produce the president in 2031.
Sani emphasized that the Nigerian Constitution grants every citizen the right to contest elections, and that this right applies to any region of the country.
Sani also pointed out that it would be just for the North to support Tinubu, given the support Tinubu had previously offered the North.
He recalled that Tinubu’s alliance with former President Muhammadu Buhari was instrumental in Buhari’s eventual victory after several unsuccessful attempts.
The former lawmaker said, “From my point of view, the issue of the 2027 election should be left for the South to contest; whether it is President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi or ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. And then, the North now has the legitimate right to contest and be allowed to produce the president in 2031.
“Asiwaju (Tinubu) is a product of the North and is reciprocal for what he has also done for northern Nigeria. Buhari had contested for the presidency for so long a time but it was only when he allied with Tinubu that he emerged.
“So, Tinubu took for the North at a time that they needed him most and it is time for them (the North) to stand for him. After all, when he is done, the north will now have the opportunity to produce a president from the North-East, North-West or North-central.
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees that every Nigerian can contest election. Any region can contest the election. That’s what the Constitution says.
“I believe that the 2027 election should be left for the South to contest. And then the North will now have the legitimate right to contest and be allowed to produce the president in 2031.
“It is in the interest of national unity and peace that southern Nigeria be allowed to complete their eight years in office and then it will rotate back to the north in 2031.”
He argued that the North’s eagerness to return to power in 2027, as exhibited by some political elites, was driven by personal ambitions rather than the region’s interests.
Despite Tinubu not winning in key northern states like Kaduna, Kano, and Adamawa in the previous election, Sani expressed confidence in Tinubu’s ability to secure a second term without full northern backing if he successfully addresses the pressing issues.
He hoped that the political elite in the North would respect the power rotation principle, allowing the South to complete its eight-year term before the presidency rotates back to the North in 2031.
Sani reiterated that, if Tinubu effectively tackles the challenges in Northern Nigeria, no northern elite could prevent his re-election in 2027.
The human rights activist suggested that, “If Tinubu would succeed in addressing the security situation, education and poverty in Northern Nigeria, no northern elite will stop him from getting re-elected in 2027.”
“The desperation to return to power in 2027 by some northern political elites is not in the interest of the North but simply on personal reason, having some of them being schemed out.
“I believe that he will get re-elected. The resentment against Asiwaju (Tinubu) from the north now stems from the fact of the economic situation we are facing in the country, and I believe that if that issue is addressed, he will still regain those whom he had lost,” he added.
