Northern presidential aspirants should wait till 2031 – Kano gov

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf. Photo: Kano State Government

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has called for the continued rotation of Nigeria’s presidency between the northern and southern parts of the country, urging northern presidential hopefuls to wait until 2031 before seeking the office.

Yusuf made the call on Sunday at the Government House, Kano, while unveiling 50 vehicles donated by Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to support All Progressives Congress campaign mobilisation in the state ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Yusuf said presidential power should rotate between the two regions, with each allowed to produce a president for two consecutive terms.

He said allowing each region to complete two terms would give an administration sufficient time to implement major policies and development programmes.

“I urge support for President Bola Tinubu to complete his second term because this would allow the South to complete its two-term cycle before power returns to the North,” Yusuf said.

He added, “We should allow the South to complete its two-term cycle. After that, power will return to the North in 2031.”

The governor therefore urged political stakeholders, particularly in the North, to exercise patience and allow the current political arrangement to run its course, effectively asking northern presidential aspirants to defer their ambitions until after the 2027–2031 tenure.

Yusuf said rotational presidency should promote fairness, national cohesion, mutual trust and a sense of belonging among Nigerians from different parts of the country.

“Rotational presidency is about fairness, equity and giving every part of the country a sense of belonging,” he said.

He also urged politicians and political parties to conduct peaceful and issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The governor called on political actors to focus on policies, programmes and development plans rather than personal attacks and inflammatory rhetoric.

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“Let us focus on issues, policies and programmes and avoid actions that can undermine peace and unity,” Yusuf said.

Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to peaceful democratic engagement, urging political stakeholders to place the unity, peace and development of Kano State and Nigeria above partisan differences.

Receiving the vehicles, Yusuf described the donation as a demonstration of Tompolo’s support for the APC and Tinubu’s re-election bid.

“These vehicles being presented today will be deployed to support our political structures and groups across the state as we prepare for the 2027 general elections,” Yusuf said.

Launching its Kano State structure on Sunday, the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, founded and convened by Tompolo, donated 50 branded vehicles to support its mobilisation activities across Kano’s 44 local government areas.

Representing Tompolo at the event, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, said the movement would take its campaign directly to voters through structures established at the grassroots.

“The plan is that every door will be knocked, every home will be knocked, so that people will give their massive support to Mr President,” Guwor said.

He said the movement would establish structures across the country and deploy coordinators at the ward and polling-unit levels to engage residents ahead of the election.

Guwor, who is also Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, said the movement was mobilising support for Tinubu based on what he described as the administration’s economic reforms and infrastructure projects.

“A lot has been done, and you can see that he’s very bold with his economic reforms. Good things attract people,” he said.

He cited the removal of fuel subsidy, foreign exchange reforms and infrastructure projects, including the Kano rail project and the rehabilitation of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.