2027: You Are Insincere If You Contest Against Tinubu — Akume Tells Northerners

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has said the North should not contest the 2027 presidential election, describing any Northerner seeking the office as insincere.

Akume made the declaration while moving a motion at the All Progressives Congress (APC) mega rally organised by the North Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Saturday.

Speaking at the rally, Akume praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership and cited projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Badagry-Sokoto Road as evidence of his administration’s commitment to infrastructure development.

Describing Tinubu as a “man who dreams big and acts big”, Akume said the ongoing road projects had demonstrated the president’s ambition.

“The road is under construction. One of the great Nigerians who has some reservations about that project was shocked when he drove on that road for 15 kilometres and came back and called me and said, ‘Man, I believe,’” he told an audience comprising governors, senators and political leaders from Benue, Plateau, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Akume reminded the gathering that an agreement was reached in Kaduna in 1999 for power to rotate between the North and South, with each region expected to spend eight years in office.

“Yesterday our father made his sojourn in peace. He was on the throne for eight years,” he said, referring to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Today, as it was, you are expected to be on that throne for eight years.”

He added that Northerners could contest the presidency in 2031 but should support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

“In 2031, Northerners can float over 1,000 candidates. So anybody from the North who is running for president today is not sincere. I reject him 100 per cent, don’t accept him,” Akume said.

The SGF also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, arguing that although leading presidential candidates promised to remove it during the 2023 election campaign, Tinubu was the one who implemented the policy.

He described promises to reverse the policy as “policy flip-flop” intended to deceive voters.

On education, Akume cited the establishment of additional universities and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) student loan scheme, saying the initiatives would help ensure that no Nigerian was denied access to tertiary education because of their circumstances of birth.

Akume subsequently moved a motion seeking the endorsement of Tinubu as the APC’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

“[The people of the North Central] meeting in this great congregation have resolved that, come 2027, our sole candidate for that election is His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. There is no other candidate,” he said.

The motion was seconded by Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, who is also chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum.

Sule highlighted improvements in oil production, foreign reserves and market capitalisation under Tinubu’s administration.

The motion was adopted through a voice vote after Akume asked supporters to indicate their approval.