2027: Oluwo Appeals To North To Back Tinubu, Says ‘South-West Supported Buhari For 8 Years’

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has called on political stakeholders in Northern Nigeria to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the President should be allowed to complete eight years in office.

The monarch said supporting Tinubu for a second term would, in his view, sustain the principle of power rotation and strengthen the longstanding political and cultural relationship between the North and the South-West.

Oba Akanbi made the appeal in a statement issued through his Press Secretary, Alli Ibraheem, in which he urged political leaders in the North to consider what he described as the historical understanding between the two regions when making decisions ahead of the 2027 election.

The Oluwo noted that former President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the North, completed two terms in office, and argued that Tinubu, as a South-Western president, should similarly be allowed to complete two terms.

He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being a Yoruba man from the South-Western Nigeria, deserves eight years in office as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after his predecessor, late Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, who also spent eight years in office.”

According to the monarch, the relationship between the North and the South-West has developed beyond electoral politics, stressing that the understanding between the two regions should be preserved.

He said the South-West supported Buhari during his eight-year presidency and argued that the North should reciprocate by backing Tinubu’s second-term bid.

“In the South-West, we supported late President Muhammadu Buhari to rule Nigeria for eight years. The North should pay back. After President Tinubu’s eight years, we will return the power to them,” he said.

Oba Akanbi described the North and the South-West as critical components of Nigeria’s political development and said cooperation between the two regions could contribute to national unity.

“The North and the South-West are perfect role models for a united Nigeria. They both have a heavenly bond that cannot be distracted by artificial contest. We are the cement that bonds the nation together,” he added.

The monarch also linked his call to his personal relationship with the North, saying, “This understanding informed my royal marriage from the Northern Nigeria.”

On the Tinubu administration, the Oluwo expressed confidence that completing eight years would give the President more time to implement his reform agenda.

“I have strong hope that the power rotation will cement the unity of Nigeria. I equally express strong assurance that the eight years will allow the President to complete his reformative policies that will benefit all and sundry, irrespective of their political and cultural attachments,” he said.