By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
A former political understanding between the North and South-West over the rotation of presidential power has become the basis for the North to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Magaji Da’u Aliyu, has said.
Aliyu, the Chief of Staff to the Office of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and Deputy Director, North-West, Tinubu Support Group (TSG), said the North should reciprocate the political support given to former President Muhammadu Buhari by Tinubu and the South-West by backing the incumbent President for a second term.
He argued that Buhari’s emergence as President in 2015, after several unsuccessful attempts under different political platforms, was achieved with the support of Tinubu and other political leaders in the South-West, based on an understanding that power would shift to the region after Buhari’s two terms.
According to Aliyu, the South-West honoured its side of the arrangement by supporting Buhari throughout his eight years in office, making it necessary for the North to reciprocate by supporting Tinubu’s re-election.
He spoke while receiving hundreds of APC members and supporters of President Tinubu from Birnin Kudu/Buji Federal Constituency, who paid him a solidarity visit at his residence in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
The former two-term member of the House of Representatives maintained that Tinubu’s emergence as President in 2023 represented the fulfilment of the power-shift understanding between the two regions.
“The South-West supported and voted for Buhari for two terms under Tinubu’s political leadership, with an understanding that after Buhari, the presidency would shift to the South-West.
“That has happened. We therefore need to fulfil the promise and agreement by supporting and voting for Tinubu to complete his eight years in office,” he said.
Aliyu described the massive turnout of supporters at the APC presidential campaign kick-off in Kaduna on Saturday as evidence that the North-West was prepared to support Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“Today, we of the North-West geopolitical zone have spoken loud and clear about who we stand for. Our choice of Tinubu remains our commitment to a better Nigeria and national cohesion. Arewa will return Tinubu to Aso Rock,” he declared.
He urged APC members and supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding while intensifying grassroots mobilisation to secure votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
He said honouring the alleged political understanding would promote national unity and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process.
