Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has urged northern politicians seeking the presidency to wait until 2031, arguing that the South should be allowed to complete an eight-year presidential cycle.
Yusuf made the call on Sunday at the Kano State Government House while speaking during the unveiling of 50 vehicles donated by Niger Delta businessman Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, for political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governor said presidential power should continue to rotate between the North and South, with each region given an opportunity to produce a president for two consecutive terms.
According to Yusuf, allowing an administration to serve two terms would provide sufficient time to implement major policies, programmes and development projects.
He therefore called on northern political stakeholders to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, saying this would enable the South to complete the period he described as its turn in the presidency.
“I urge support for President Bola Tinubu to complete his second term because this would allow the South to complete its two-term cycle before power returns to the North,” Yusuf said.
He added: “We should allow the South to complete its two-term cycle. After that, power will return to the North in 2031.”
Yusuf consequently appealed to northern politicians and other political stakeholders to exercise patience and defer their presidential ambitions until after the 2027–2031 period.
He said the principle of rotational presidency could promote fairness, equity, national cohesion, mutual trust and a sense of belonging among Nigerians from different parts of the country.
The governor also called on political parties and their supporters to conduct peaceful and issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged politicians to concentrate on policies, programmes and development plans rather than personal attacks, inflammatory rhetoric or actions that could threaten peace and national unity.
Yusuf’s position comes as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with questions surrounding zoning, regional representation and power rotation becoming increasingly prominent in political discussions.
The North-South rotation advocated by Yusuf is a political arrangement or convention, rather than a constitutional provision requiring the presidency to alternate between the two regions.
