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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Southern Caucus of the National Forum of Former Legislators has endorsed President Bola Tinubu as the sole candidate of the South in the 2027 presidential election, declaring that the region must complete its full eight-year tenure before power rotates to the North in 2031.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its summit in Abeokuta, the caucus threw its weight behind Tinubu, praising his administration’s “innovative reforms,” including the creation of Regional Development Commissions, local government autonomy, the student loan scheme, and deregulation of the electricity sector.
“We affirm that it is the turn of the South to complete its tenure,” the statement read. “Accordingly, we adopt President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the sole candidate of the South. It is in the best interest of the South and the nation that the incumbent completes the tenure of the South.”
The group commended the Northern Caucus of former lawmakers for supporting power rotation and pledged that the South would reciprocate in 2031.
Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who convened the summit delivered a keynote address highlighting economic progress under Tinubu.
“According to the World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update, Nigeria’s economy expanded by 4.6% year-on-year in the final quarter of 2024, pushing annual growth to 3.4% its fastest pace in a decade,” he said. He added that the fiscal deficit dropped from 5.4% of GDP in 2023 to 3.0% in 2024 as federation revenues nearly doubled to ₦31.9 trillion.
He stressed that reforms come with sacrifice but insisted the economy is responding, noting that inflation eased from 24.5% in January to 23% in May 2025, while foreign investments surged by 67% in Q1 2025.
On unity, he said: “National unity is the sine qua non for national development. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we will rise together or fall together.”
Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, hosted the gathering, praising Tinubu’s “visionary leadership” and calling continuity “a strategic necessity.”
“President Tinubu’s bold reforms and political inclusiveness demonstrate that nation-building is not an abstraction, but a tangible reality when anchored on courageous leadership and strong political will,” Abiodun said.
He concluded with a firm endorsement: “The South must finish its eight years Asiwaju must complete his eight years! Nigeria is rising again!”
The summit, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Abeokuta, drew delegates from across the southern states and signaled a clear southern consensus ahead of 2027.