Former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, has said Nigerians should allow President Bola Tinubu complete two terms in line with the unwritten North-South power rotation that has guided presidential politics since 1999.
Aliyu, who spoke on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday, argued that denying Tinubu a second term in 2027 would disrupt the existing zoning understanding, especially since northerners had already held power for eight straight years under Muhammadu Buhari.
“I have heard many of the presidential aspirants (in ADC) already saying they will serve one term,” he said.
“If a northerner says he’s serving one term, what problem is he creating for the north?
“If we could tolerate the late Muhammadu Buhari for eight years, oh my God, let’s try it… maybe by 2031, we can jettison the arrangement if we find it convenient.
“For now, only governors and lawmakers are defecting. By 2031, you may end up with a presidential defection. Is that not a constitutional issue?
“So, for me, who will win the election will depend on what happens in the next one and a half years.
“And that is to say, if the government can correct some of the observable anomalies, I don’t see a problem.”
Aliyu’s comments come amid rising speculation that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may contest under the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—a party recently adopted by an opposition coalition that includes prominent figures like Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi.
While acknowledging growing support for the ADC, Aliyu warned that fielding a northern candidate in 2027 could create avoidable friction.
He also challenged opposition parties to stop focusing solely on removing Tinubu and instead present viable, credible alternatives.
“My argument has always been, what is the alternative? What is it if you want to remove this or that government or that governor or that president? What is the alternative that you’re offering to the people?” he asked.
Aliyu, who chairs the board of trustees for the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, further pointed out a major flaw in Tinubu’s administration: weak communication with the public.
“You do not depend only on the ministry of information to be able to communicate with the citizens. Every minister, every head of a parastatal, should be able to tell the people what they have been doing,” he said.
“In other words, the government needs to be more of an advocate.
“What we have seen so far is that the government is doing well, but they do not, or the government does not know how to communicate very well.”
