The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has responded to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his remarks on the 2027 presidential election, asserting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will complete two terms in office before power shifts to the North in 2031.
Speaking at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja while hosting members of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre (PBAT Media Centre) and Tinubu Northern Youth Forum (TNYF), Ganduje dismissed any notion of a power shift in 2027, describing it as unrealistic given the North-South rotational agreement.
“When a leader from the North served for eight years, we insisted that the next president should come from the South. Now that we have achieved that, and with hard work and the support of Nigerians, President Tinubu will, by God’s grace, complete his second term in 2027. After that, the presidency will return to the North,” Ganduje stated.
His comments came in response to El-Rufai’s statement on his verified X handle, where the former Kaduna governor warned that the North could reject Tinubu in 2027 just as it did to former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
El-Rufai expressed concern over the APC’s internal dynamics, cautioning that unless the party reclaims its progressive ideology and corrects its current trajectory, it risks losing power by 2031.
“I am naturally inclined to support my party’s reelection in 2027, but as a realist, I have my concerns,” El-Rufai wrote. “The current political climate is beginning to resemble the circumstances that led to Jonathan’s downfall, where arrogance and disregard for the North played a significant role.”
He further recalled that, ahead of the 2023 election, he had warned against taking the North’s support for granted, emphasizing that the region played a crucial role in Tinubu’s victory.
“Less than two years into the tenure, we are witnessing a rapid deterioration in the relationship between the North and the President’s administration, largely due to the actions and statements of some individuals from his geopolitical zone and tribe,” El-Rufai stated.
Drawing parallels with Jonathan’s presidency, he warned that similar attitudes of disrespect and political miscalculations could cost the APC in 2027 if not addressed promptly.
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