Former legislators from both the North and South have formally endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office, declaring him the sole candidate of the South ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The endorsement was made on Saturday during the 2025 Southern Summit of Former Legislators, organised by the National Forum of Former Legislators at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The summit, themed “National Unity: Bedrock of Nation Building,” drew prominent figures including the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former House Speakers Yakubu Dogara and Patricia Olubunmi Etteh; APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru; and former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, among others.
In a communiqué read by Samson Osagie, a former member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, participants affirmed that it was in the interest of unity, fairness, and justice for the South to complete its two-term tenure in the presidency.
“As a body, we will always align ourselves to those things that will promote the unity, peace, and prosperity of our dear country Nigeria.
We commend the patriotic courage of our colleagues of the Northern Caucus in calling for the South to complete their tenure,” the communiqué read.
“We affirm that it is the turn of the South to complete its tenure. It is in the best interest of the South and the nation that the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, completes the tenure. Accordingly, we adopt him as the sole candidate of the South. We also call on the South to support the North in 2031 to take up their tenure in the spirit of equity and fairness.”
The Chairman of the summit, Senator Ken Nnamani, put the question to participants before the resolution was unanimously adopted.
In his remarks, the convener of the summit and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, defended Tinubu’s reform policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, which he described as “an act of extraordinary statesmanship.”
“These are not the actions of a politician thinking about the next election,” Gbajabiamila said. “They are acts of courage by a leader whose highest concern is the fortune of the Nigerian people and the fate of the next generation.
The absolute clarity of the President’s vision is why his administration has not shied away from tackling the most difficult reforms.”
He acknowledged the hardship faced by Nigerians but urged patience, noting that the reforms were essential to secure the nation’s long-term economic stability.
The Northern Caucus of the forum, led by Rufai Chanchagi, reiterated its commitment to backing the South through 2027, stressing that fairness demanded the completion of an eight-year southern presidency before power shifts back to the North in 2031.
Also speaking, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, praised the former lawmakers as custodians of Nigeria’s democratic journey and emphasised that Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms.
Similarly, Senator Surajudeen Bashiru, former Senate Spokesperson and Senator representing Osun Central in the 9th Assembly, highlighted the importance of unity amid Nigeria’s social, political, and economic challenges.
He stressed that diversity must remain a source of national strength rather than division.
The endorsement by the former legislators marks one of the strongest political declarations yet in support of Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
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