Kwankwaso urges northern Nigeria to let South retain presidency in 2027

Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, called on northern Nigeria to let the South retain the presidency after the 2027 election, so that it can complete an eight-year term in line with the practice of power-sharing. He made the remarks during an exchange with journalists at his residence in Kano, P.M. News reports.

Kwankwaso warned former vice-president Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that a northern candidacy could cause tensions and threaten national unity. He urged Atiku to support Peter Obi, whom he presented as a credible southern candidate. Kwankwaso added that he had abandoned his presidential ambitions to back Obi, with whom he said he shared objectives.

Hajya Rahma Abdulmajid, a presidential adviser, defended power rotation at a ceremony in Kano. She recalled that political leaders had agreed in 1998 on an alternation between the North and South every eight years. She cited the presidencies of Olusegun Obasanjo, from 1999 to 2007, followed by those of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, who led the country from 2015 to 2023. Abdulmajid called for support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Kano Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf also backed this position. Represented at the ceremony by his director-general for media and publicity, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, he said fairness and inclusion were necessary, according to P.M. News. These calls follow several public statements on the presidential election, including one by an adviser to Atiku who accused Tinubu of pressuring the opposition on 31 October.