Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has called on Nigerians, particularly people in the North, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.
Yusuf said Tinubu should be allowed to complete what he described as an eight-year power-sharing arrangement between the North and South before the presidency returns to the North in 2031.
The governor made the remarks on Sunday at the Kano Government House during the flag-off of the distribution of 50 branded vehicles donated by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to support grassroots mobilisation for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections. (Trust Radio)
Yusuf argued that the North had already completed an eight-year presidential tenure under former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023.
He said the South should therefore be allowed to complete another eight-year period through Tinubu before power returns to the North.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is serving Nigeria for the last three and a half years. Now we are coming for another election. Therefore, it is our responsibility as Nigerians to agree that the President should be re-elected for another term of office,” Yusuf said.
According to the governor, Tinubu’s re-election would mean that the South would complete eight years in the presidency by 2031, after which northern political interests could seek to produce the next president.
“At the end of that, power will come back to the North. And only Allah knows who will be the President of Nigeria,” he said.
Yusuf consequently appealed to northerners, especially those in the North-West, to support Tinubu in the 2027 election.
“We have to exercise patience. May Allah get us through to 2031,” he said.
The governor also called for peaceful and issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.
He urged politicians to focus their campaigns on their records, policies and plans for improving the welfare of Nigerians rather than engaging in character assassination.
“This year’s campaign should be issue-based. What do you have for the good people of the state? What have you done for them? Go around the local governments and tell them what you intend to do or what you did for them when you were in power,” Yusuf said. (Tribune Online)
Yusuf also expressed support for the Federal Government’s development agenda, citing infrastructure and human capital development as areas where Kano had benefited from federal initiatives.
The governor thanked Tompolo for donating 50 branded vehicles to support APC structures and mobilisation activities in Kano.
He said the vehicles would be deployed across the state’s 44 local government areas ahead of the 2027 elections. (Trust Radio)
Earlier, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, who spoke on behalf of Tompolo, said the Tinubu Door-to-Door movement was preparing for a nationwide grassroots mobilisation campaign.
Guwor, who is also Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, said the movement would establish chapters across states and subsequently deploy coordinators and ambassadors to wards and polling units.
“Every door will be knocked, every home will be knocked,” Guwor said.
He explained that the strategy was designed to take the campaign directly to communities and communicate what the movement considers the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
Guwor cited the Federal Government’s economic reforms and infrastructure projects as part of the reasons for the planned mobilisation.
“A lot has been done and you can see that he is very bold with his economic reforms,” he said. (Trust Radio)
The Delta Speaker also referred to political realignments involving some state governors, linking the developments to what he described as support for the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.
He said the Door-to-Door movement would first inaugurate its state chapters before expanding its organisational structure to the grassroots.
The comments by Yusuf add to the growing political debate over zoning and power rotation ahead of the 2027 presidential election. His argument is based on an informal political understanding rather than a constitutional provision requiring the presidency to alternate between the North and South.
The 2027 election is expected to generate further debate over zoning, performance, political alliances and the interests of different regions as political parties and aspirants position themselves for the contest.
