By Nasir Shuaibu (Bauchi State Correspondent)
Nigeria Forward (NF), a socio-political group, has urged political stakeholders in Northern Nigeria to respect the informal power-rotation arrangement between the North and South and allow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to complete an eight-year presidential tenure.
The group made the call on Friday at the formal unveiling of Nigeria Forward at Barcelona Hotel, Abuja.
Co-Convener of the group and Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, said the North-South power-sharing arrangement since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999 had contributed, in the group’s view, to political balance and national cohesion.
Waiya argued that seeking to return the presidency to the North in 2027, after only one term by the current administration, could undermine the principle of rotation and potentially revive sectional tensions.
He urged Northern political stakeholders to place national unity and long-term development above immediate electoral considerations.
According to him, allowing the Tinubu administration to complete its eight-year tenure would provide an opportunity for continuity and consolidation of policies, programmes and projects.
Waiya also said the Federal Government inherited significant economic and security challenges in 2023 and had introduced reforms which, according to him, could strengthen governance.
He cited local government autonomy, increased financial resources for sub-national governments and moves towards state police as examples.
The commissioner disclosed that Kano State had established a committee on the implementation of state police, which he said could contribute to job creation and improved security when fully operational.
He, however, cautioned against viewing the challenges facing Northern Nigeria solely through the lens of presidential politics, stressing that tackling poverty and underdevelopment required collective action.
“Democracy is a social contract,” he said.
Waiya described Nigeria Forward as a platform designed to bridge the gap between government policies and citizens, insisting that it was not owned by any particular political party.
Also speaking, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology and Co-Convener of the movement, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, said the Federal Government’s reforms were aimed at moving Nigeria from infrastructure and connectivity to production, jobs and prosperity.
He urged members of the platform to base their activities on evidence, inclusiveness, innovation and national unity. NNL.
