FFK, Omokri Kick Against Power Returning to North Before 2031
Two ambassador-designates of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri, have kicked against any move to return presidential power to Northern Nigeria before 2031, insisting it would undermine the power-sharing arrangement that has shaped the country’s democracy since 1999.
The duo argued that handing power back to the North after only one southern term would amount to a betrayal of the unwritten rotation agreement between both regions and a disservice to the political balance that has kept the country stable since the return to civilian rule.
Fani-Kayode, who was recently named ambassador-designate to South Africa, and Omokri, ambassador-designate to Mexico, made their position known in a joint statement issued on Saturday while endorsing Tinubu’s re-election bid for 2027.
According to them, the North already enjoyed two uninterrupted terms under former President, Muhammadu Buhari with the backing of the South, stressing that fairness demanded the South also complete two terms before power changes hands again.
“We view it as unpatriotic and inimical to the unity, equilibrium, and progress of Nigeria for anyone to even conceive of power returning to Northern Nigeria after only one term of four years, during which it was domiciled in Southern Nigeria,” the statement read.
The pair noted that the current southern presidency was not accidental, adding that Tinubu was instrumental in the North’s return to power in 2015.
“Not just in Southern Nigeria, but in the specific hands of the man who was the chief architect for the return of power to the North in 2015,” they stated.
Backing their argument with the principle of reciprocity, the two political allies said, “One good turn deserves another and one good term deserves another.”
They described the North-South power rotation formula as the foundation of Nigeria’s political stability in the Fourth Republic.
“It is in the best interest of the stability, unity, and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and in keeping with the Gentleman’s Agreement which ushered in our Fourth Republic in 1999, after sixteen years of turbulence and political instability, for there to be a balanced and orderly rotation of power in Nigeria between the North and the South,” the statement added.
The duo maintained that Northern Nigeria had fully exhausted its turn after eight years under Buhari and should allow the South complete its own cycle.
On Tinubu’s performance, they credited his administration with recording 12 straight cycles of GDP growth and trade surpluses, while claiming Nigeria became the sixth-largest contributor to global GDP growth in 2025 after adding “$67 billion” to the economy.
Fani-Kayode and Omokri also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including the ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the ₦13 trillion Illela-Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, and the 465-kilometre Trans-Saharan Road project aimed at linking the Southeast with Northern Nigeria.
Calling for nationwide support for Tinubu ahead of 2027, they said, “If we all extend the right hand of fellowship to President Bola Tinubu, we will, with the help of God, collectively see Nigeria become a $1 trillion economy by 2031.”
Drawing comparisons with Switzerland, the duo argued that structured power-sharing had helped the European nation maintain peace and stability for more than two centuries.
“The reason Switzerland has been stable, peaceful, and prosperous for the last 211 years is because that Alpine nation wisely introduced power sharing amongst its multiethnic population and has not seen any conflict since 1815,” they said.
They ended the statement with a direct call for Tinubu’s return in 2027, declaring, “To re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a task that must be done.”
Leave a Reply