Zulum: After Tinubu, Presidency Will Return to North

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has said the presidency will return to Northern Nigeria after President Bola Tinubu completes his second term in office.

Zulum made the statement on Sunday in Kaduna after attending a meeting with Northern women, Ulama and Islamic scholars.

The governor said the North would reclaim the presidency after Tinubu’s tenure, while urging Nigerians to remain patient with the Federal Government as it works to address the country’s security challenges.

His comments come as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Tinubu already confirmed as the All Progressives Congress candidate for another term.

Tinubu was endorsed as the APC’s presidential candidate after securing close to 11 million votes during the party’s nationwide direct primary. He has also retained Vice President Kashim Shettima, a former Borno governor, as his running mate for the 2027 election.

Zulum’s latest position also comes against the backdrop of renewed debate over the rotation of presidential power between Nigeria’s North and South.

Several political leaders have argued that regional balancing should influence the choice of Nigeria’s next president, while others have maintained that competence and electoral support should determine who occupies the position.

Earlier in July, North-East political leaders endorsed the Tinubu-Shettima ticket and pledged to mobilise support for the APC in the 2027 election. Zulum was among the prominent Northern leaders who participated in the meeting.

The governor has also repeatedly expressed support for Tinubu’s administration and acknowledged Federal Government efforts to address infrastructure and security challenges in the North-East.

His latest remarks, however, point beyond the 2027 contest and suggest that Northern political leaders are already considering the question of regional power succession after Tinubu’s possible second term.

Tinubu’s second term, if secured, would run from 2027 to 2031. Under the two-term constitutional limit, he would be ineligible to contest for another term thereafter.

Zulum’s statement is therefore likely to fuel further discussion among political stakeholders over whether the presidency should return to the North in 2031 and which region or political bloc would produce the candidate.

The debate is expected to intensify as the 2027 election approaches and parties begin positioning themselves for the political realignment that could follow the next presidential cycle.