The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other Northern presidential aspirants to step down from the 2027 race.
Akume argued that the aspiration of the northern politicians contradicts the North-South power rotation arrangement.
He said the North completed eight years with former President Muhammadu Buhari before President Bola Tinubu took office in 2023, and the South must also be allowed to complete its eight years.
He warned that anything contrary could undermine national cohesion, fairness and democratic stability.
NEWSNGR reports that Akume made the claim on Wednesday when he received a delegation of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM), Nigeria, led by its Supreme Knight, Sir Steve Adehi.
According to a statement by the Head, Information and Public Relations, SGF Office, Chris Ugwuegbulam, Akume said the principle of power rotation, which emerged from consultations among political leaders ahead of the return to democratic rule in 1999, remained critical to ensuring equitable access to the presidency and sustaining mutual trust among Nigeria’s diverse regions.
He recalled that the power-sharing understanding was reached in Kaduna in 1999 after extensive consultations among governors-elect elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other prominent political leaders.
Akume explained that the arrangement provided for the presidency to alternate between the North and the South in eight-year cycles, beginning with the South, as a means of promoting political balance, strengthening mutual trust and safeguarding national unity.
He maintained that the arrangement had helped sustain democratic governance by providing a framework for managing Nigeria’s regional diversity and preventing any section of the country from feeling permanently excluded from the highest political office.
The SGF cautioned against treating power rotation as a temporary political convenience, describing it instead as an important political understanding anchored on fairness, mutual respect and national stability.
He particularly frowned on attempts by Northern aspirants to contest the presidency before the completion of the South’s current eight-year tenure.
He said respecting the arrangement would demonstrate political maturity and reinforce the principle that national interest should take precedence over individual political ambitions.
