Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has warned that attempts by northern political leaders to reclaim the presidency in 2027 could reignite separatist agitations and deepen political tensions across southern Nigeria.
Sani argued that allowing President Bola Tinubu to complete the South’s expected eight-year presidential tenure would help sustain national unity and preserve the principle of power rotation.
The former lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central in the defunct 8th National Assembly, made the remarks during an interview with journalists in Kaduna on Friday while discussing the 2027 elections, insecurity and political representation.
According to him, the North should wait until 2031 before pursuing another presidential opportunity, noting that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, served two terms between 2015 and 2023.
Sani maintained that disrupting the existing power-sharing arrangement could create a sense of exclusion among southern communities and undermine confidence in Nigeria’s political system.
He cited the reduced level of separatist agitation in parts of the South-East, South-West and South-South as evidence of the importance of political inclusion, arguing that the prospect of having a president from their respective regions had helped sustain hope in the Nigerian project.
“The danger of disrupting this rotational idea is the fact that whatever you are doing to Tinubu for ethnic reasons, Tinubu must go,” Sani said.
He added that agitation for Biafra, a Yoruba republic and a Niger Delta republic had subsided considerably, warning that a premature shift in presidential power could reverse some of those gains.
The former senator also questioned the arguments supporting former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition, recalling his previous contests against former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari.
On insecurity, Sani said the Tinubu administration should be assessed alongside previous governments, arguing that banditry, terrorism, mass abductions and attacks on schools had persisted in northern Nigeria for more than a decade.
He recalled the abductions of students in Dapchi, Kankara, Jangebe and Yauri during Buhari’s administration, as well as the kidnapping of students from Greenfield University in Kaduna State.
Sani accused some northern political leaders of applying inconsistent standards in their criticism of the current administration, insisting that security failures should be condemned regardless of which region or political party controls the presidency.
“We cannot address security challenges in the country when we shielded our own who failed to address the problem, and now shift blame and use it for political reasons to achieve certain political ends,” he said.
The former lawmaker, who is seeking to return to the Senate to represent Kaduna Central, also stressed the need for effective legislative representation to address insecurity, poverty, poor healthcare and educational challenges in the region.
He cited his previous contributions to healthcare facilities, scholarships, educational support and women’s empowerment programmes, arguing that experienced lawmakers were needed to attract federal projects and improve living conditions for constituents.
Sani further called for political leadership capable of bridging ethnic and religious divisions in Kaduna State, which has a diverse population, warning against the use of identity-based mobilisation for electoral gains.
He urged political leaders to prioritise national unity, accountability and inclusive governance, stressing that public office should not be used to intimidate critics or marginalise sections of the population.
