The Tinubu 2027 re-election push roared to life on Sunday as the Southern Caucus of the Forum of Former Legislators adopted him as its sole candidate.
Convened by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, the Abeokuta summit drew former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Yakubu Dogara, Patricia Etteh, and a cross-section of ex-lawmakers from both North and South.
Citing economic reforms, fiscal discipline, and regional development commissions, the communique praised Tinubu’s leadership: “We commend the reforms that have re-engineered the economy, strengthened the naira, and set Nigeria on recovery.”
The ex-lawmakers pledged support for Tinubu through 2027 while promising to back a Northern president in 2031 — a deal viewed as early groundwork for power rotation.
For Gbajabiamila, the symbolism was unmistakable: “Nation-building is a joint task… unity is the anchor of progress.”
Analysts see the move as a bold pre-emptive strike by Tinubu’s camp to consolidate support across regions and neutralise opposition alignments led by Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar.