Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, told northerners on Saturday that they should back President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027. He added that the region should wait until 2031 before seeking the presidency itself.
Akume spoke while addressing Benue State indigenes resident in Kaduna. The gathering took place ahead of the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign flag-off in the state capital. He stressed that any northerner who contests the presidency in 2027 would work against the region’s interests.
Akume urged northerners to stay united. He warned them against political ambitions that could split the region before the 2027 elections. “The North must remain united and focus on its collective interest rather than allow individual ambitions to divide us,” he said.
The former Benue State governor argued that the region needed to weigh its long-term political interests. He said leaders must also consider the wider effects of the 2027 presidential contest on the North’s future. In his view, supporting Tinubu’s re-election would serve the region better than allowing personal goals to create division.
Akume stated that Tinubu should finish his political project first. Only after that should the North pursue its own presidential ambition in 2031. “President Bola Tinubu should be allowed to complete his political project before the North considers its own presidential ambition in 2031,” he said.
He described any northerner who challenges Tinubu in 2027 as an enemy of the North or as someone misleading Arewa. Akume maintained that the region stands to gain more by backing continuity than by chasing early individual bids. He cautioned against efforts to divide northerners along political, religious or personal lines and called on stakeholders to put collective interests first.
The remarks form part of Akume’s repeated appeals for the North to honour the informal north-south power rotation arrangement and allow the South to complete eight years under Tinubu.
