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Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has warned northern political leaders against seeking to dislodge the south from the presidency in the 2027 general elections, saying such a move could revive separatist agitations and deepen political tensions across the country.
Sani argued that respecting the informal principle of rotating presidency is essential for national cohesion, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be allowed to complete the South’s turn before the North seeks to return to power. He argued that Northern politicians could pursue the presidency in 2031 without compromising the existing agreement. Project reports
The former MP, who is seeking to return to the Senate to represent Kaduna Central, spoke during an interview with select journalists in Kaduna on Friday. It addressed the rotation of power, insecurity, the performance of successive administrations and the need for effective legislative representation to address the North’s development challenges.
According to Sani, any attempt to truncate the South’s intended mandate could undermine confidence in Nigeria’s political system, particularly among communities who believe the rotation arrangement gives them a fair opportunity to produce the country’s president.
“The danger of disrupting this rotation idea is the fact that whatever you do to Tinubu for ethnic reasons, Tinubu has to go,” he said.
Sani argued that the expectation of political inclusion at the highest levels has helped reduce the appeal of separatist movements in parts of southern Nigeria. He cited the agitation for Biafra in the south-east, a Yoruba republic in the south-west and a Niger Delta republic in the south-south as examples of movements whose political environment, he believed, had been influenced by the prospect of having leaders from those regions in the presidency.
“Today, if you look at the situation, the agitation for Biafra has reached its lowest point because they are hoping that one of their own is contesting the presidency of this country,” he said.
He argued that the presence of a southern president could strengthen the belief among the region’s population that they have a stake in the Nigerian project, warning that breaking the deal could fuel new grievances and create new difficulties for national integration.
The former senator’s thesis was that political stability required leaders to consider not only their immediate electoral ambitions but also the implications of their decisions for the country’s delicate regional balance. He wondered how a president could govern effectively if large sectors of the population believed that an agreed-upon political understanding had been abandoned for partisan advantage.
The North should wait until 2031, Sani says
Sani said the North had no compelling reason to demand an immediate return to the presidency after former President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northern native, completed two terms between 2015 and 2023.
He argued that Buhari’s eight-year tenure made it politically reasonable for a southerner to succeed him, adding that the same consideration should guide discussions on the 2027 elections.
“The principle of rotation of power makes it clear that Buhari has been in power for eight years. It is logical and rational that there is a southerner,” he said.
Although the Constitution of Nigeria does not prescribe a formal rotation arrangement between the North and the South, the principle has remained an important feature of political negotiations within and between the country’s major parties. Supporters see it as a mechanism to promote inclusion and balance competing regional interests, while its critics question whether it should take precedence over other considerations in choosing a president.
Sani’s position places him among those who believe that preserving the agreement is necessary to sustain trust between Nigeria’s different political constituencies. According to this interpretation, the 2027 elections should not be treated simply as an opportunity for a region to regain power, but as part of a broader understanding about equal participation in national leadership.
He also questioned arguments made in support of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition, asking why northern voters had supported other candidates against him in previous elections if the region consistently regarded him as its preferred choice.
Sani recalled Atiku’s presidential contests against former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari, arguing that the political calculations surrounding the former vice president’s ambition had changed little over the years.
His remarks reflect the broader debate within opposition and northern political circles over candidate selection, regional representation and strategy for the 2027 presidential contest.
Tinubu’s security record should be compared to that of previous administrations
On the performance of the Tinubu administration, Sani acknowledged that insecurity remains a major concern, particularly in northern Nigeria, where communities continue to face banditry, terrorist attacks, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
However, he argued that the current security situation should be assessed against the record of previous governments rather than on the basis of ethnic loyalty or partisan considerations. He accused some northern political leaders of applying different standards to security challenges under Tinubu and Buhari.
According to him, leaders who now criticize the current administration should also account for their positions during Buhari’s eight-year presidency, when mass kidnappings and attacks on schools and communities remained major national concerns.
Sani recalled the abductions of students in Dapchi, Kankara, Jangebe and Yauri, as well as the abduction of students of Greenfield University in Kaduna State. He cited these incidents as examples of the prolonged security crisis that successive governments have struggled to contain.
He argued that the persistence of violence demonstrates that insecurity cannot be reduced to the shortcomings of a single administration and that political leaders should be consistent in demanding accountability from those in power.
“We cannot address the security challenges in the country when we have protected those who have failed to address the problem, and now we shift the blame and use it for political reasons to achieve certain political ends,” he said.
Sani’s position was not that continued insecurity should be overlooked, but that criticism of the government should be based on the realities facing affected communities and the performance of successive administrations. He argued that shielding political allies from scrutiny while attacking opponents on similar issues would make it more difficult to establish a coherent national response to insecurity.
The former MP’s remarks come amid ongoing concerns about attacks on rural communities, the abduction of residents and the disruption of agricultural and commercial activities in parts of the North. These challenges have also intensified calls for stronger security operations, better intelligence gathering, and more effective protection for vulnerable communities.
He calls for stronger representation from the North
Sani also highlighted the importance of effective representation in the National Assembly, arguing that the North needs legislators who can articulate the region’s needs and push for practical responses to security and development challenges.
He identified insecurity, poverty, poor health care and educational deficits among problems requiring sustained legislative attention, saying representatives should do more than participate in partisan debates or mobilize support during election campaigns.
According to him, the strategic location of Kaduna State in northern Nigeria makes the quality of its representation particularly important. He argued that legislators should be able to engage federal institutions, influence policy discussions, and pursue interventions that address the needs of their constituents.
Reflecting on his previous tenure in the Senate, Sani said he facilitated the establishment of a number of seven to eight primary healthcare facilities, scholarships, educational interventions, women empowerment programs and other campaign projects.
He presented these speeches as examples of the practical work that he believed should define legislative representation, insisting that elected officials should be judged on their contributions to the well-being of the people they represent.
The former senator also stressed the need for political leaders in Kaduna to appreciate the multi-ethnic and multi-religious character of the state. He argued that politicians should build bridges between communities and avoid exploiting religious or ethnic differences for electoral gain.
Kaduna has experienced recurring communal tensions and security challenges in different parts of the state, making issues of inclusion, representation and inter-community relations central to its political debates. Sani argues that leaders seeking public office should recognize these realities and promote cooperation rather than deepen divisions.
Sani expresses confidence in Kaduna politics
The former MP expressed confidence in his party’s prospects in Kaduna State, but cautioned against viewing the state’s political dynamics as identical to those in other parts of northern Nigeria.
He argued that political mobilization, increasingly driven by religious and ethnic sentiments, could undermine constructive debate on governance, development and accountability. For him, Kaduna’s diversity makes inclusive political engagement particularly important.
Sani urged Nigerians to draw lessons from previous administrations and recognize that political power is temporary. He warned leaders against using public office to intimidate critics or marginalize sectors of the population, arguing that democratic leadership should be guided by accountability, fairness and respect for diverse opinions.
His comments place the 2027 presidential contest within a broader debate about regional power-sharing, managing insecurity and the responsibilities of political leaders in a diverse country.
While the principle of rotation remains informal rather than a constitutional requirement, Sani believes that abandoning it before the South completes its scheduled turn could carry consequences beyond the presidential election itself.
He argued that allowing the South to hold the presidency until 2027 would give the North the opportunity to prepare for a return to power in 2031, while preserving the spirit of political accommodation that he sees as necessary for national unity.
