Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, the Nigeria Forward Project has urged political stakeholders in Northern Nigeria to respect the principle of power rotation and allow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the South, to complete an eight-year presidential tenure before the North seeks to reclaim power.

The group said returning the presidency to the North after only one term would undermine the principle of rotation and risk reopening sectional tensions that have historically shaped Nigeria’s presidential politics.

The Co-Convener of Nigeria Forward and Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Waiya, made the call on Friday in Abuja at the formal unveiling of the platform, established to promote national unity, citizen engagement and continuity in governance.

Waiya argued that the North should not seek to return to the presidency in 2027 after only four years of the current administration, insisting that allowing Tinubu to complete eight years would provide political continuity and give his government time to consolidate its policies.
He urged Northern political stakeholders to place the broader principle of national balance above immediate electoral calculations, saying Nigerians should focus on governance and development rather than allowing the 2027 contest to revive sectional divisions.

According to Waiya, the Tinubu administration inherited significant economic and security challenges in 2023 and had since introduced measures which, in his assessment, were putting the country on a different trajectory.

He cited local government autonomy, increased financial resources accruing to sub-national governments and moves towards establishing state police structures as reforms that could strengthen governance and security.

Waiya disclosed that Kano State had established a state police implementation committee, which he said could contribute to job creation and improved security when fully implemented.

He nevertheless cautioned against reducing the challenges of Northern Nigeria to presidential politics, arguing that tackling poverty required the participation of citizens, state and local governments and other stakeholders. “Democracy is a social project,” he said.

Waiya described Nigeria Forward as a “rainbow coalition”, insisting that it was not owned by any particular political party but belonged to Nigerians. He called on citizens to rally around the national interest and preserve national unity.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology and co-convener of the movement, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, said the Federal Government’s reforms were designed to move Nigeria from infrastructure and connectivity to production, jobs and prosperity.

Udeh said Nigeria Forward would bridge the gap between government policies and citizens by providing information on projects, investments, opportunities and the impact of government programmes in communities.

He said Nigeria’s development story, particularly in the North, should not be reduced to political slogans, urging citizens to examine what was being built, where projects were located, the problems they were solving and who stood to benefit.

The minister said infrastructure should be judged by its practical impact, noting that roads should connect farmers to markets while railways should reduce the cost of transporting goods. He also identified energy and digital connectivity as important to expanding opportunities for young Nigerians.

Udeh described the administration’s development trajectory as “reform to infrastructure, infrastructure to connectivity, connectivity to production, production to jobs and jobs to prosperity,” and called on Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 to consolidate the reforms.

He urged Nigeria Forward members to make evidence, inclusiveness, innovation and national unity the foundation of their activities, saying the platform’s message of “Together We Move Nigeria Forward” should translate into a commitment to service, citizenship and national development.