Shehu Sani Warns Against Disrupting Rotational Presidency

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has warned that attempts by northern politicians to reclaim the presidency in 2027 could reignite separatist agitations in the South-East, South-West and South-South.

Sani urged northern political leaders to allow President Bola Tinubu to complete the South’s expected turn under Nigeria’s informal rotational presidency arrangement, arguing that a departure from the practice could deepen political tensions and undermine national cohesion.

He spoke during an interview with journalists in Kaduna on Friday, where he discussed power rotation, insecurity, governance and the need for effective representation in the National Assembly.

The former lawmaker, who is seeking a return to the Senate to represent Kaduna Central, argued that northern politicians could pursue the presidency in 2031 rather than seek to reclaim it in 2027.

He maintained that the expectation of regional inclusion in the country’s highest political office had helped reduce separatist sentiments in parts of southern Nigeria.

Sani cited agitation for Biafra in the South-East, a Yoruba republic in the South-West and a Niger Delta republic in the South-South, arguing that the prospect of having leaders from these regions contest the presidency had influenced political attitudes.

He warned that abandoning the rotational arrangement could revive grievances among communities that view it as a means of ensuring equitable participation in national leadership.

According to him, the North had no compelling reason to demand an immediate return to power, given that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, served two terms between 2015 and 2023.

Sani said the eight-year tenure of the previous administration made it reasonable for a southerner to succeed Buhari, adding that the principle of rotation should guide political discussions ahead of the 2027 election.

He also addressed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition, recalling his previous contests against former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari.

On insecurity, Sani acknowledged that the Tinubu administration continued to face serious challenges but criticised what he described as inconsistent assessments by some northern political leaders of the current and previous governments.

He argued that those criticising Tinubu over insecurity should also account for the record of the Buhari administration, during which banditry, terrorism, mass abductions and attacks on schools and communities persisted.

He cited the abductions in Dapchi, Kankara, Jangebe and Yauri, as well as the kidnapping of students from Greenfield University in Kaduna State, as examples of the security challenges experienced under the previous government.

Sani maintained that insecurity should not be reduced to ethnic loyalty or partisan politics, urging political leaders to apply consistent standards when assessing government performance.

He also called for stronger legislative representation to address the North’s security, healthcare, education and poverty challenges. He said lawmakers should be capable of attracting development projects and effectively communicating the needs of their constituents.

The former senator stressed that Kaduna State’s ethnic and religious diversity required leaders who could unite communities rather than exploit divisions for political advantage.

Although rotational presidency is not expressly provided for in Nigeria’s Constitution, the practice has remained an important part of political negotiations over regional representation and power-sharing.

Sani maintained that allowing the South to retain the presidency through the 2027 election would give the North an opportunity to seek the office in 2031 while preserving the spirit of political accommodation and national unity.