Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has reiterated that the presidency should rotate to the North in 2031, not in 2027, urging northern political stakeholders to exercise patience and support the current administration.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum organized by the Ahmadu Bello Foundation in Kaduna on Tuesday, Akume emphasized that Nigeria’s unity and stability depend on adherence to the principle of rotational presidency between the North and South—a concept championed by founding political leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999.
“Nigeria will not cease to exist if the South retains the presidency in 2027. The North needs patience to wait for its turn in 2031,” Akume declared.
He paid tribute to late northern political giants such as Chief Solomon Lar, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Shehu Dan Musa, Abubakar Rimi, Prof Suleman Kumo, Isaac Shaahu, and Prof Jerry Gana, who advocated for power rotation as essential to national unity and territorial integrity.
“The wisdom of these leaders has guaranteed political stability. It is unreasonable to rush the process,” Akume said, urging northern leaders to rally behind President Bola Tinubu’s government and demonstrate political restraint.
The two-day forum themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizen Engagement for National Unity” convened political heavyweights, traditional rulers, technocrats, and civil society leaders from all 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory. The event marked a mid-term evaluation of the Tinubu administration’s performance two years after assuming office.
Akume, addressing the gathering on behalf of President Tinubu, described the administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” as a concrete governance framework grounded in transparency, accountability, equity, participation, and the rule of law.
He highlighted key pillars of the agenda, including economic reform, national security, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, education, diversification, and governance reform. Akume defended tough policy decisions such as fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification as necessary measures that have saved trillions of naira and begun repositioning Nigeria’s economy.
“Though painful, subsidy removal has freed resources for critical infrastructure and human development,” he noted, adding that inflation was moderating and GDP growth was exceeding projections. Investor confidence is also recovering due to tax reforms, debt restructuring, and improved revenue transparency.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu praised the Tinubu administration
