2027 Presidency: Akume cautions Atiku, declares Tinubu right candidate

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume has declared that President Bola Tinubu remains the right candidate to lead Nigeria beyond 2027.

Akume made the declaration while insisting that any Northerner seeking to contest the 2027 presidential election is an enemy of the North.

The SGF spoke on Saturday in Kaduna at a pre-campaign meeting with a mammoth crowd of Benue State indigenes resident in Kaduna, Yomi Odunuga, his Special Adviser on media and publicity said in a statement on Saturday.

He argued that the North should support Tinubu’s re-election bid and wait until 2031 before seeking to return to the presidency, warning that individual political ambitions should not be allowed to undermine the region’s collective interests.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from Adamawa State in North East Nigeria has emerged as one of the leading presidential candidates in the 2027 election.

Atiku is contesting on the platform of African Democratic Congress, ADC.

But Akume said the North should not be distracted by the ambitions of Atiku and other Northern politicians seeking to challenge Tinubu in 2027, stressing that political leaders must consider the wider implications of their actions for national unity and the region’s future.

“Anybody who is from the North and running for the presidency is an enemy of the North. Don’t allow that pretender to deceive you. It is not yet our turn. The North’s turn is in 2031. Prepare to vote for Tinubu. Do not allow anyone to destroy the country because of a vaunting personal ambition.

“Let us remember that the President has been fair to all in terms of appointments and others. He doesn’t favour one religion over the other. Just look at the figures. So be careful about what people tell you”, he said.

According to him, the North stands to benefit more from supporting Tinubu’s second-term ambition than from allowing individual political interests to create divisions ahead of the next general elections.

Akume maintained that the region must remain focused on its long-term political interests rather than pursue ambitions that could undermine its unity and political relevance.

The former Benue State governor cautioned against attempts to divide Northerners along political, religious and personal lines, urging political stakeholders to place collective interests above individual aspirations.

He recalled past political disagreements among Nigerian leaders and warned against repeating mistakes capable of weakening the North’s influence in national politics.

The SGF emphasised that unity, cooperation and political understanding remained critical to the region’s continued relevance, noting that the North’s strength depended largely on its ability to pursue common objectives.

“Kaduna State is a historic city that gave us meaning and purpose. So, this is your home too as Benue State citizens living here.

“The present governor, Senator Uba Sani, believes in that vision of Saudauna. He is a great man. I want to appeal to you that there is none like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. Forget that other one making noise that he was going to remove fuel subsidy. He is always flip flopping. He says something today and changes gear the next minute.

“Let nobody deceive you, Asiwaju loves Benue and he has displayed that in the number of significant projects the Federal Government is carrying out simultaneously in the state. These projects are diverse in healthcare, roads, education and others. This is being replicated throughput the federation. For example, in the area of education, over 65 percent of NELFUND has been accessed and most of them are from the North.

“Remember that it was in this same Kaduna State that we agreed on power rotation between the North and the South. You cannot doubt the credentials of those that reached this agreement at that time and it was done to keep this country together. We agreed on power shift and that is what has kept this country going. That is what has retained our territorial integrity”, Akume explained.

Northerners, Akume noted, should critically examine unfolding political developments and avoid being misled by politicians whose personal ambitions might conflict with the broader interests of the region.