Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has declared that any Northern politician seeking the presidency in 2027 is misleading the region and acting against its collective interest, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be allowed to complete an eight-year tenure before power returns to the North in 2031.
​Speaking on Saturday afternoon, October 24, 2026, during a pre-campaign stakeholders’ gathering with Benue State indigenes in Kaduna, Akume cautioned northern delegates and voters against supporting opposition figures driven by personal ambition.
He emphasized that the nation’s power-rotation principle remains essential to national stability, warning that a presidential bid from the region in 2027 undermines the North’s long-term political standing.
​”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,” Akume stated. “Prepare to vote for Tinubu. Do not allow anyone to destroy the country because of a vaunting personal ambition.”
​Defending the current administration’s record, the SGF noted that President Tinubu has governed equitably across geopolitical and religious divides, maintaining a balanced distribution of key appointments across the federation.
​Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, who hosted the event, echoed Akume’s sentiment, reassuring attendees that northern leadership remains committed to supporting President Tinubu’s re-election to consolidate ongoing political and economic reforms. Governor Sani urged residents to resist political distractions and focus on unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
​The high-profile gathering brought together prominent political figures and government officials, including former Jigawa State Governor Alhaji Saminu Turaki, former Minister of Women Affairs Dame Pauline Tallen, Senator Abu Ibrahim, Minister of Water Resources Prof. Joseph Utsev, and Minister of Steel Development Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu.
Addresses by the visiting dignitaries consistently reinforced the call for regional unity and strategic alignment behind the administration’s second-term mandate.
