Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, Sunday, said it was not yet the turn of the north to produce Nigeria’s president in 2027, warning that to do otherwise could undermine the nation’s unity and destroy her.
He, therefore, advised the Northern interest groups to wait until 2031 before running for the presidency, with a caveat that, it was not their time to throw their hat in the ring.
Akume, who spoke as a guest on a television political progamme against the backdrop of deft political scheming and coalition by different groups with the aim to take over power from the ruling APC and succeed President Bola Tinubu in 2027, declared the current president would serve two terms of eight years.
“It is not yet time for the North. This is my appeal to them. Don’t let us destroy our country because of personal ambition. It is my advice and this has been consistent. Do not let us rock the boat.
“Let us allow this power to reside in the south for eight years and then it will come to the North. To do otherwise, honestly is to destroy this country.
“This democracy and people are entitled to their views. Again, in democracy, you always have groups springing up and forming alliance, creating movement and intending to transform them into political parties.
“The political ball, quite frankly, has started to roll and there is one group that is headed by the former governor of Kano State and the Secretary is from Benue State, Emmanuel Jume. He was a member of House of Representative before.
“People have the right to form alliances but my candid advice to my people in the North is that if you should form your alliances, make sure your candidates are from the South. Why? Because that is one thing that will guarantee our territorial integrity and unity,” he said.
The former governor of Benue State also advised former Vice President AtikuAbubakar of the main opposition party, PDP, to perish the thought of taking over presidential power in 2027.
“If it’s the will of God at 90, you can still become the president of this country, but if it is not his will, you will never be,” he declared.
He said Tinubu as a southerner, should be allowed to have a second term while those eyeing the presidency from the North in 2027 should look beyond that year by waiting till 2031.
He also boasted that Tinubu had not lost goodwill among Nigerians as a result of tax reform bills and other strategic economic decisions taken within the last 17 months of his administration, expressing optimism that the president would run Nigeria for two terms of eight years.
He defended the tax reform bills as a well-envisioned proposed legislations that would help the country when passed by the National Assembly.
The SGF pleaded with to Nigerians to allow the bills to scale through the required legislative processes, saying, they were well-envisioned for Nigeria and Nigerians.
Olawale Ajimotokan
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