The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, have expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s support in Northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, said the ruling party remained confident of its political structures and alliances across the country, despite claims by opposition figures that Tinubu had lost support in the North.
Basiru made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television, where he highlighted the party’s control of 31 states, including 18 of the 19 states in Northern Nigeria, as a factor in its political calculations.
He, however, cautioned party members against complacency, stressing that the APC would continue to mobilise voters and promote the administration’s policies ahead of the election.
According to Basiru, the party’s grassroots structures, political alliances and the programmes introduced by the Tinubu administration would play important roles in its 2027 campaign.
He also cited the APC’s performance in off-cycle elections since the 2023 general election, claiming that the party had recorded an approximately 86 per cent success rate.
Basiru further said the APC had about 12.8 million registered members nationwide, adding that the party’s growing membership and support from influential political stakeholders would strengthen its position.
He dismissed allegations that the ruling party was using financial inducements to attract opposition politicians, insisting that those who had defected to the APC had publicly explained their decisions.
The APC national secretary also said students in the North could support the party because of their access to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Meanwhile, Akume has called on Northern political leaders to respect the power rotation arrangement between Northern and Southern Nigeria, arguing that the South should complete its eight-year presidential cycle before power returns to the North.
The SGF stated this when he received a delegation of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM), Nigeria, led by its Supreme Knight, Sir Steve Adehi.
In a statement issued by the Head of Information and Public Relations in his office, Chris Ugwuegbulam, Akume said the zoning arrangement was rooted in consultations among political leaders in 1999.
He explained that the agreement was designed to promote fairness, political inclusion and national unity by ensuring that neither region felt excluded from the presidency.
According to Akume, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office represented the North’s most recent completed presidential cycle, making it important for the region to respect the arrangement and allow the South to complete its turn.
He warned political stakeholders against placing personal ambitions above national cohesion, describing the rotation principle as an important framework for managing Nigeria’s regional diversity.
Akume also urged Nigerians to understand the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms, noting that addressing the country’s development challenges would require sustained cooperation among the federal, state and local governments.
He commended the Knights of St. Mulumba for their humanitarian activities and support for vulnerable Nigerians, describing their interventions as complementary to government efforts to improve citizens’ welfare.
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