Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has said that Northern leaders will honour an understanding with their Southern counterparts that allows the South to complete its turn in the presidency, and that the office should return to the North in 2031 after President Bola Tinubu’s second term.
Speaking after a meeting with Northern women Ulama and Islamic scholars on Sunday, Governor Zulum described the agreement as a deliberate, regionwide commitment intended to preserve national unity and political stability.
“We have negotiated with our Southern brothers and sisters and we have made a commitment. We should allow the South to complete its tenure and then we will decide our political future,” he said.
The Governor’s remarks are among the clearest public statements from a senior Northern politician about the emerging balance of power ahead of the 2027 election.
Zulum said Northern leaders had agreed to support President Tinubu through 2027 and to “determine [their] political future” in 2031, signalling an expectation that the presidency return north after two terms.
Governor Zulum recalled a recent five-year effort by Northern leaders to build greater regional unity, and warned against allowing short-term political calculations to erode ties between Nigeria’s North and South.
He said Northern politicians had themselves benefited from Southern support in past contests, and urged compatriots to back the Tinubu administration as it faces pressing security and economic challenges.
The Borno Governor also said Northern leaders had been discussing regional problems—including insecurity, poverty and the high number of out-of-school children—and had taken “far-reaching decisions” to address them.
Addressing the audience of women Islamic scholars, Governor Zulum urged greater engagement from women as agents of peace and social stability, noting their influence in shaping families and communities.
He said women in Borno account for an estimated 60 to 65 percent of votes cast in the state and urged them to use that electoral weight to promote unity and peaceful participation rather than partisan division.
Invoking Islamic teachings, Zulum appealed for patience amid economic hardship, saying perseverance is necessary in trials before relief comes.
He called for similar consultations with women Ulama across Northern states, and said sustained dialogue and adherence to political commitments would strengthen both the region and the federation.
