Stakeholders from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology have called on voters in Nigeria’s three northern geopolitical zones to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. The appeal, made during the unveiling of the "Nigeria Forward Project" in Abuja, urges the northern electorate to respect the principle of power rotation by allowing the current administration to complete its second term.
Appeal Based on Power Rotation
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Ibrahim Waiya, the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs and co-convener of the project, argued that the presidency should remain in the South for the duration of the current administration. Waiya noted that the North held the presidency for eight years under former President Muhammadu Buhari, and the South is currently serving its first term under President Tinubu.
“The North had its own eight years under Muhammadu Buhari, and now the South is having its own under Bola Tinubu, the first tenure. And then the North should not be unfair to the South,” Waiya said. “This means allowing the South to continue and complete its own tenure, so that the North can stay fresh for a complete another round of eight years.”
Waiya warned that interrupting this cycle could destabilize the country and jeopardize ongoing development gains. He emphasized that the stakeholders are not seeking to become dependent on the President but are instead aligning with citizens to ensure continuity in governance.
Nigeria Forward Project Launch
The "Nigeria Forward Project" was formally unveiled as a mass mobilization platform aimed at promoting national unity, citizen engagement, and continuity in governance ahead of the 2027 general elections. Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh SAN highlighted the importance of a bottom-up approach to engage Nigerian citizens across all regions regarding the administration’s developmental trajectory.
Minister Udeh stated that the project seeks to extend the gains of President Tinubu’s "Renewed Hope Reform Initiative." He described the agenda as fundamentally about creating conditions for Nigeria to produce, innovate, and build secure livelihoods, noting that policies achieve their greatest impact when citizens actively participate in them rather than remaining spectators.
According to the Minister, the key stakeholders and leaders of Nigeria Forward include grassroots leaders, community leaders, and communication experts. He stressed that the development story of Nigeria, particularly in the North, must not be reduced to political slogans or isolated project announcements, but must involve direct engagement with citizens on how government initiatives are impacting their communities.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
