Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, has thrown his weight behind the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, insisting that the president should be allowed to complete two full terms to fully implement his reform agenda and consolidate national transformation.
Barau, according to a statement by his Media Aide, Ismail Mudashir, made the call on Saturday at the 2026 National Summit of Former Legislators in Abuja, where a broad coalition of ex-lawmakers across party lines unanimously endorsed President Tinubu as their sole candidate for the next presidential election.
The summit, themed “National Unity and Nation Building: Beyond 2031,” was organised by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL) and convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
It attracted high-profile political figures, including former Senate Presidents Pius Anyim and Ken Nnamani, as well as former Speakers of the House of Representatives, Patricia Eteh and Yakubu Dogara.
Barau, the statement added, aligned with earlier calls by the NFFL National Coordinator, Hon. Raphael Nnanna Igbokwe, and other former presiding officers, who argued that adherence to the zoning and rotational principle remains critical to equity, stability, and national cohesion in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
He stressed that the rotation of power had brought balance and predictability to the polity and warned against disrupting a system that has largely worked. According to him, President Tinubu’s administration deserves continuity to deliver lasting economic and institutional reforms.
The Deputy Senate President also pledged to transmit proposals by the forum seeking the formal entrenchment of the rotational principle in the Constitution to the National Assembly, assuring that the legislature would give it due consideration.
Beyond the 2027 endorsement, Barau underscored the importance of national unity, continuity in governance, and the mentorship role of former legislators.
He noted that public service does not end with tenure.
He assured the forum of sustained collaboration with the National Assembly, describing former lawmakers as custodians of institutional memory and democratic values.
In a communique adopted at the close of the summit, participants passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu and formally endorsed him for a second term.
The motion was moved by former Senator Yakubu Hussaini (Kogi State) and seconded by Senator Florence Ita Giwa (Cross River State).
The summit reaffirmed the role of former legislators as critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s democratic consolidation and nation-building efforts.
