- Ambassador-designates Femi Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri have argued that returning the presidency to the North after only one southern term would be a betrayal of Nigeria’s established power-rotation pact.
- The duo highlighted that the South supported the North for two full terms under Muhammadu Buhari, and equity demands that the South, specifically under President Tinubu, be allowed the same.
- The joint statement credited the Tinubu administration with adding $67 billion to the economy and positioning Nigeria as a top global contributor to GDP growth in 2025.
Two of President Bola Tinubu’s newly designated ambassadors, Femi Fani-Kayode (South Africa) and Reno Omokri (Mexico), have formally endorsed the President for a second term in 2027.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in a joint statement released on Saturday, they characterized any attempt to shift power back to Northern Nigeria before 2031 as “unpatriotic” and a threat to the country’s political equilibrium.
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They maintained that the “Gentleman’s Agreement” on power rotation, which has stabilized Nigeria’s Fourth Republic since 1999, necessitates two consecutive terms for the South.
Fani-Kayode and Omokri emphasized that President Tinubu was the “chief architect” of the North’s return to power in 2015, and thus, the principle of “one good turn deserves another” should apply.
They pointed to the peaceful power-sharing model of Switzerland as an example Nigeria should emulate to maintain long-term stability and avoid ethnic or regional conflict.
The advocates argued that the North has already exhausted its turn by completing eight uninterrupted years under the previous administration.
Beyond political equity, the statement leaned heavily on the administration’s economic and infrastructural record.
They cited 12 consecutive cycles of GDP growth and massive ongoing projects, such as the ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Illela-Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, as evidence of a unifying and performing presidency.
By backing a 2027 run, the designates expressed confidence that Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” will lead Nigeria to become a $1 trillion economy by the end of his potential second term in 2031.
