Adamawa state governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has thrown his weight behind the principle of rotational presidency ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that no northerner should join the race.
Fintiri, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on ChannelsTV’s Sunrise Daily.
While acknowledging that the constitution permits any qualified Nigerian to contest for political office, the governor argued that, in the interest of fairness and national unity, the presidency should remain in the South for a full eight-year cycle.
“There is no business of anybody in the North to do with the presidency at the moment. It is the turn of the South; they should complete their eight years, if we are really serious about this country. It should rotate so that we will all be our brother’s keepers,” he said.
Among prominent northern figures linked to the 2027 contest is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023. The 79-year-old Adamawa-born politician has since left the PDP for the African Democratic Congress in pursuit of his presidential ambition.
However, Fintiri urged support for incumbent President Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor and candidate of the APC, to complete a second term if he seeks re-election.
“If there is no other candidate, we should support Bola Tinubu GCFR to complete his tenure. After all, he has done so much. He initiated good policies that are working, that are showing us light at the end of the tunnel,” the governor stated.
Responding to questions about his relationship with Atiku, the Waziri of Adamawa, Fintiri said political differences have not strained their ties.
“I still have a good relationship. There is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways. I am today in APC, they are in another party,” he said.
He maintained that national stability should guide political decisions ahead of 2027, reiterating that “it is still the turn of the South to complete.”
