By Iroyin Yoruba Television
The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’Aziz Abubakar Yari, has called on political leaders and voters in northern Nigeria to respect the country’s established practice of presidential power rotation and allow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to complete what he described as an eight-year tenure.
Yari made the appeal on Saturday, October 3, 2026, in Kano after holding a closed-door meeting with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf at the Government House.
His comments introduce another significant argument into the increasingly active political debate over the 2027 presidential election, particularly concerning whether the presidency should remain in the South for another term or return to the North after President Tinubu’s current tenure.
Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State and a leading figure in the APC's 2027 presidential campaign structure, argued that the political understanding surrounding rotation between Nigeria's northern and southern regions should be respected.
He said the North had previously held the presidency for several years and should therefore allow the current southern presidency to complete its expected period before political power returns to the region.
The statement is political advocacy rather than a constitutional requirement.
Nigeria's Constitution does not prescribe a formal North-South rotation of the presidency. Instead, zoning and rotation have developed as political conventions and agreements within parties and among political stakeholders.
Yari's argument therefore rests on political understanding rather than a legal obligation.
He said the country should avoid reducing the 2027 presidential contest to a simple struggle between northern and southern interests.
According to him, national unity should remain more important than regional calculations.
The argument comes as political parties and presidential aspirants increasingly position themselves for the 2027 election.
The next presidential contest is expected to feature intense discussions about regional representation, performance in office, economic conditions, security, party structures and the political alliances capable of producing a winning coalition.
The question of zoning has already become one of the issues around which political actors are building competing arguments.
Some northern political figures and groups have indicated interest in producing the next president, while supporters of President Tinubu have argued that he should be allowed to complete two terms.
Yari's latest intervention places him firmly among those advocating continuation of the current southern presidency.
He recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, governed Nigeria from 2015 to 2023 before power shifted to Tinubu in 2023.
He argued that the North had therefore already benefited from a significant period of presidential leadership and should recognise the importance of allowing the current political arrangement to continue.
Yari said the North should not use its population size as the basis for seeking to overturn the current understanding.
The argument is significant because population and electoral strength are often central to political calculations in Nigeria.
Northern Nigeria contains a large proportion of the country's registered voters and has historically played an important role in presidential elections.
However, Nigeria's presidential elections are decided through a combination of nationwide support and constitutional requirements, making regional support alone insufficient to guarantee victory.
Political parties consequently seek broad national coalitions rather than relying exclusively on one region.
Yari's appeal for regional accommodation therefore also reflects the need to preserve political relationships across Nigeria's geopolitical zones.
He emphasised that Nigeria belongs to all citizens and that political competition should not create divisions that undermine national unity.
The APC campaign council director-general also defended the Tinubu administration against criticisms concerning the country's economic and security situation.
He acknowledged that the government was not perfect but argued that Nigeria's problems could not be attributed entirely to the current administration.
This forms part of the broader political debate over how governments should be evaluated.
Supporters of the Tinubu administration point to reforms and economic indicators as evidence of progress, while critics focus on the cost of living, insecurity and the effects of policy changes on households.
Yari argued that Nigerians should compare economic indicators from the period when Tinubu assumed office in 2023 with the country's current position.
He specifically referred to foreign reserves and inflation as areas where comparisons could be made.
Such comparisons are likely to become increasingly important as the 2027 election approaches.
Economic performance traditionally plays a major role in electoral politics because voters experience the effects of economic policies directly through food prices, employment, transportation costs, household incomes, business conditions and access to essential services.
The government's ability to demonstrate measurable improvements could therefore influence how voters evaluate its record.
At the same time, opposition parties are likely to argue that economic statistics should be considered alongside household experiences.
The debate will probably intensify as the election draws closer.
Yari also addressed the issue of insecurity.
He argued that insecurity is a challenge faced by countries around the world and should not be presented as a problem unique to Nigeria.
He referred to gun violence in Chicago as an example of how even developed countries continue to experience serious security challenges.
His comparison was intended to place Nigeria's security difficulties within a broader international context.
However, the scale and nature of security threats differ significantly between countries, and comparisons between individual incidents in different national environments require careful consideration.
For Nigerian voters, insecurity remains a major political issue regardless of how it compares internationally.
Communities affected by terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and communal violence are likely to judge government performance according to whether they feel safer and whether security forces can protect lives and property.
The political debate over security is therefore likely to remain important during the 2027 campaign.
Yari's remarks also included a prediction about the future of presidential rotation.
He argued that if Tinubu completes his tenure in 2031, the presidency would then return to the North under the political understanding he described.
That position assumes that the informal rotational arrangement remains accepted by major political stakeholders.
Whether it does will be determined by future negotiations within political parties and among regional political leaders.
The current debate demonstrates that zoning remains a powerful factor in Nigerian politics even though it is not written into the Constitution.
Political parties have historically used zoning arrangements to manage internal competition and balance regional interests.
Such arrangements can help parties avoid internal conflicts, but they can also become contentious when politicians believe their political ambitions or electoral opportunities are being restricted.
The 2027 election is therefore likely to test how durable the current understanding of presidential rotation remains.
For the APC, maintaining a broad coalition across the North, South-West, South-East and South-South will be important to its re-election strategy.
For opposition parties, disagreements over zoning could provide opportunities to attract politicians and voters who feel excluded from the governing party's arrangement.
Yari's comments may consequently have significance beyond the APC.
They are part of a wider national discussion about how political power should be distributed and how regional interests can coexist within a federal political system.
The meeting with Governor Abba Yusuf is also notable because Kano is one of Nigeria's most politically important states.
The governor has significant influence within the state's political environment, while Kano itself has a large electorate and a history of competitive presidential elections.
Any campaign effort seeking strong northern support will therefore pay close attention to political developments in Kano.
Yari's visit and subsequent remarks demonstrate the importance the APC campaign structure attaches to northern political engagement.
The political landscape in the North is not uniform, however.
Different states, political parties, governors, traditional institutions, religious leaders and voter groups have their own interests.
Support for a presidential candidate cannot simply be assumed on the basis of regional identity.
Political parties must still persuade voters through policy arguments, candidate credibility, local organisation and campaign structures.
This is why Yari's call for respect for zoning is only one part of the APC's broader campaign strategy.
The campaign council will also need to defend the administration's record and respond to criticism from opposition parties.
The economic argument will likely be especially important.
The Tinubu administration introduced major reforms shortly after taking office, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign-exchange system.
Those reforms have generated both support and criticism.
Government supporters argue that the policies were necessary to address structural weaknesses in the economy.
Critics argue that the immediate consequences imposed significant hardship on households and businesses.
As the election approaches, voters will be asked to determine whether the reforms have produced sufficient benefits to justify their costs.
Yari's comments indicate that the APC intends to make economic performance part of its case for retaining power.
The argument about continuity is also important.
Supporters of a second term can claim that major reforms require time to produce their full effects and that changing government midway through the process could interrupt implementation.
Opposition parties are likely to respond that voters should judge the administration on its actual record rather than promises about future benefits.
That disagreement will form part of the wider electoral contest.
The issue of regional rotation adds another dimension.
A voter could support a candidate because of policy preferences, regional considerations, party loyalty, personal reputation or a combination of these factors.
Political campaigns therefore often attempt to bring together multiple arguments rather than rely on a single issue.
Yari's statement combines regional rotation with appeals to national unity and an assessment of the government's economic record.
He also stressed that the presidency should not become a permanent contest between the North and South.
His emphasis on unity reflects concerns that excessive regional competition could deepen political divisions.
Nigeria's history demonstrates that regional tensions can have serious consequences when political competition becomes associated with identity.
Political leaders therefore face pressure to mobilise supporters without creating hostility between different communities.
This is particularly important during election periods, when political rhetoric can influence relationships between groups.
Yari's call for the North to accept the current rotation arrangement can consequently be interpreted as an appeal for political restraint as well as a campaign argument.
The effectiveness of that appeal will depend on how other northern political leaders respond.
Some may support the argument that Tinubu should complete two terms.
Others may maintain that the presidency should be contested openly without regional agreements determining who is eligible to seek it.
Still others may support particular candidates regardless of zoning.
The coming months are likely to reveal how these positions develop.
The APC will also need to manage internal competition.
Even within a governing party, politicians may have different ambitions and preferred candidates.
Maintaining unity around the incumbent can help reduce internal divisions, but political calculations can change as the election approaches.
The campaign council's role is therefore not only to mobilise voters but also to maintain coordination among different political interests supporting the president.
Yari's position provides a clear message to northern political stakeholders: the APC campaign leadership wants the existing political arrangement to remain intact through 2031.
Whether that message gains broad acceptance will depend on the strength of the political relationships developed over the next year.
For voters, however, the central question remains whether the proposed continuation of the current administration corresponds with their interests.
Political arguments about zoning can influence how elections are contested, but voters also consider issues affecting their daily lives.
The cost of food, employment opportunities, security, electricity, education, healthcare and infrastructure are likely to remain important.
Political parties will therefore need to connect their regional and constitutional arguments with practical policy proposals.
Yari's statement is an early indication of how the APC may frame part of its 2027 campaign in the North.
The argument is that political stability requires respect for the understanding that produced the current South-to-North rotation.
At the same time, the campaign council is expected to continue defending Tinubu's record and seeking support across different regions.
The political debate is still developing.
No election has been held, no final outcome can be predicted, and the positions of many political actors remain subject to change.
The 2027 contest will involve several parties, coalitions and political movements, and the eventual candidate lists may differ from the alliances currently emerging.
Yari's comments should therefore be understood as the position of a senior APC campaign official rather than a binding agreement among all northern political leaders.
The statement nonetheless provides a clear indication of the direction of the APC campaign's argument on presidential zoning.
The coming political season will determine whether the principle of rotation remains a strong organising force or whether competing political interests eventually weaken it.
For now, Yari is urging northern stakeholders to accept the continuation of the Tinubu presidency and to view the arrangement as part of a broader effort to preserve political balance and national unity.
The response from northern political leaders, opposition parties and other regional stakeholders will help determine how influential that argument becomes.
As Nigeria moves closer to 2027, the debate over who should occupy the presidency will increasingly involve not only candidates and parties but also questions about regional representation, political agreements, economic performance and national cohesion.
Yari's intervention in Kano has added another clear position to that debate: that President Tinubu should be allowed to complete eight years and that the North should wait for its turn to return to the presidency under the political rotation arrangement he supports.
Whether Nigerian voters ultimately accept that argument will be determined through the electoral process, not through political declarations.
For now, the statement marks another significant development in the growing campaign activity ahead of the 2027 presidential election.