Presidency’s Kano Appeal Revives Debate Over Power Rotation, Political Fairness and National Stability
November 2, 2026
A presidential aide has urged political leaders in Northern Nigeria to uphold the country’s longstanding informal power rotation arrangement by allowing the South to complete an eight-year presidential tenure through 2031.
Hajya Rahma Abdulmajid, Personal Assistant to the President on Radio and Broadcast in the Office of the Vice President, made the appeal on Sunday in Kano at the grand inauguration and strategic media awards ceremony of Matan Arewa 4 Tinubu Again (MATA), a group supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Abdulmajid described the North–South understanding as a reciprocal political commitment intended to promote inclusion and national stability following the end of military rule in 1999.
She traced the arrangement to consultations among political leaders during the transition to civilian government, recalling efforts to address grievances arising from the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In her account, prominent figures, including Sunday Awoniyi, advocated a southern presidency as part of a broader effort to rebuild trust between regions.
The presidential aide argued that political actors should apply the same principle consistently, regardless of which region currently holds the presidency.
POWER ROTATION AND THE FOURTH REPUBLIC
Abdulmajid pointed to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s two terms from 1999 to 2007, the election of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007, and the subsequent succession of Goodluck Jonathan after Yar’Adua’s death in 2010.
She also recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, served two terms from 2015 to 2023 before power returned to the South with Tinubu’s election.
She maintained that an early return of the presidency to the North would undermine the reciprocity invoked by advocates of rotation.
Her remarks included criticism of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s position on zoning. She questioned whether political ambitions should take precedence over the informal arrangement, although the right of any qualified Nigerian to contest the presidency remains constitutionally protected.
KANO GOVERNOR EMPHASISES FAIRNESS AND INCLUSION
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented at the event by his Director-General of Media and Publicity, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, also expressed support for maintaining the rotational understanding.
The governor’s representative linked the debate to fairness, inclusion and the need for political stakeholders to sustain mutual confidence across Nigeria’s regions.
Former Jigawa State Governor and former Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru Abubakar addressed the gathering as well, highlighting federal infrastructure and social projects in Northern states as part of the administration’s record.
POLITICAL AGREEMENT, NOT A CONSTITUTIONAL RULE
The North–South rotation principle has influenced party nominations and political negotiations for decades, but it is not an express constitutional rule allocating the presidency to either region for eight years.
Nigeria’s Constitution provides for presidential elections and permits eligible candidates to seek office. The presidency cannot be assigned by a regional agreement independently of voters’ choices.
Consequently, the argument for completing a southern eight-year tenure is a political appeal based on reciprocity, not a legal prohibition on northern candidates or a guarantee of a second term for an incumbent.
The 2027 election will ultimately be determined by valid votes and the applicable constitutional requirements, including geographical spread.
The Kano statements nevertheless show how the debate over zoning is becoming an important part of political discussions ahead of the election.
Supporters of rotation frame it as an instrument of stability and fairness, while critics question whether informal regional arrangements should limit voters’ options or party competition.
For voters, the broader issues will include not only regional balance but also the candidates’ records, programmes and plans for economic security, public services and national cohesion.
THE NATIONAL PATRIOTS’ POSITION
The National Patriots support appeals for peace, unity and fairness in Nigeria’s presidential power rotation. Former President Muhammadu Buhari completed two terms, although his re-election was contested. We acknowledge the Tinubu administration’s reforms and reported progress over three years, while recognising that their lasting benefits must be demonstrated through measurable improvements in Nigerians’ lives. National cohesion and democratic choice remain paramount.
Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser MFR .
President, The National Patriots.
Member, APC-PCC Strategic Communications Team.
