2027: Akume appeals to North to back Tinubu’s second term, wait till 2031

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has called on politicians from Nigeria’s northern part of the country to shelve their presidential ambitions until 2031, saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made “fundamental and remarkable” progress deserving of continuity.

Speaking on Tuesday during a two-day interactive session in Kaduna, themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizens’ Engagement for National Unity” and hosted by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Akume said Tinubu had proven himself a capable leader worthy of a second term.

“President Tinubu has spent two years and two months in office, and his achievements are already foundational and remarkable,” Akume declared. “I urge politicians from the northern region to wait until 2031. Do not join a group that will stagnate the development President Tinubu has achieved.”

The SGF lauded Tinubu’s administration for deepening national security, boosting agriculture, improving food security, and launching critical infrastructure projects. He also cited foreign policy, education, job creation, and tax reform among key areas where progress has been made under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

On the controversial removal of fuel subsidy, Akume noted that it had created room for subnational governments to access more funds for critical development projects.

“Tinubu has laid the foundation for a new Nigeria through visionary leadership,” Akume said. “He has appointed many northerners into key positions. The claim that the North is being sidelined is not true.” Nigerian cuisine recipes

He pointed at specific infrastructure projects in the North, including the proposed Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Taraba highway and the Super Highway from Sokoto to Bagary, which he said would surpass the much-touted Lagos-Calabar coastal road in length and impact.

Reinforcing the administration’s commitment to equitable governance, Akume said Tinubu has delivered progress without bias and urged critics to “encourage someone who is doing well so that he can do more.”

The event gathered top northern political appointees in the Tinubu administration and citizens from across the region to evaluate electoral promises and strengthen government-citizen engagement. Among those in attendance was the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali M. Ali.