The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has declared that northern aspirants, like every other Nigerian, have the constitutional right to contest the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Tinubu.
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This came in reaction to remarks by Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, who urged northern politicians to shelve their ambitions until 2031 in line with the informal power rotation between the North and South. Bago, speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, argued that it was “politically hasty” to demand a northern presidency just two years into Tinubu’s tenure.
“For crying out loud, this man has just spent two years in office, and you want it to return to the North. How? When he finishes his eight years, power will come to the North,” Bago said, adding that there was “no going back” on the plan and declaring that Tinubu’s campaign headquarters for 2027 would be in Minna.
His comment echoed a similar appeal made months earlier by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who advised northern politicians to respect Tinubu’s constitutionally guaranteed two terms.
However, ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, dismissed the call, stressing that no individual or group could prevent northerners from vying for the presidency.
“I think Governor Bago was just expressing his opinion. There’s no provision for enforcement. The position he has taken has no place in the Constitution. It is counter to constitutional provisions which give citizens the absolute and unequivocal right to contest elections or offer themselves to be voted into office,” Muhammad-Baba said.
He recalled that former Kano State Governor Abubakar Rimi had challenged then-President Olusegun Obasanjo in the 2003 primaries, insisting that political competition could not be restricted.
The development comes amid early scheming for 2027, with President Tinubu already adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate. In the opposition camp, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared his intention to run on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim is mobilising within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite the party zoning its ticket to the South.
Former Labour Party flagbearer Peter Obi has also signalled his interest, while speculations persist that some northern leaders are courting former President Goodluck Jonathan for a possible comeback bid.
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