A4A: Northern Leaders Backing Tinubu’s Re-Election Shows Political Maturity, Inclusion – Edo Monarch

The Okuokpellagbe of Okpella in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, His Royal Highness Lukman Akemokue, has said the decision of northern political leaders under the auspices of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 demonstrates the maturity of Nigeria’s politics.

A4A is a coalition of northern political leaders established to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election, with former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, serving as chairman of its Board of Trustees.

In a statement, Akemokue described the coalition as a necessary clarion call, noting that a movement led by northern leaders urging their region to support a southern president’s second term demonstrated progress in Nigeria’s democratic development.

The traditional ruler said the coalition’s decision underscored the importance of political stability through power rotation, noting that although the Constitution does not expressly provide for rotation between the North and South, the unwritten principle has become one of the most consequential understandings in Nigeria’s democratic history.

“It serves as insurance against the fear that the presidency belongs permanently to one part of the country. When it is honoured, the losing side can accept the outcome. When it is broken, grievance replaces trust.

“A4A asks the North to honour the same compact that the South honoured when the roles were reversed. Stability depends as much on such commitments as on written law,” he said.

On the economic implications of the coalition’s support for Tinubu’s re-election, the Okuokpellagbe said painful reforms could deliver benefits only if they were sustained.

“Reversing course midway means bearing the cost of the first stage without the gains of the second. Investors, farmers, traders and young entrepreneurs all plan around whether policy will hold.

“A second term offers the chance to consolidate what has been started rather than begin again. Economic confidence is built on predictability, and predictability is a political choice,” he stated.

The monarch also said the coalition’s position could strengthen national security by helping to address regional and ethnic agitations before they escalated, arguing that such grievances often arose when people felt excluded from governance.

“Every region that believes it has been excluded from power produces its own grievance, and every grievance becomes a recruiting tool for those who profit from division.

“A fair and understood rotation takes much of the fuel out of such agitation. Security is more than boots and equipment; it is the sense among citizens that the state belongs to them,” Akemokue said.

He added that the support for Tinubu’s re-election by northern leaders could strengthen national unity and cohesion through political inclusion.

“Rotation has done more than share offices. It has told every Nigerian child that the highest office is open to their region, and that their people will one day sit at the table,” the traditional ruler said.

According to him, a northern-led movement supporting a southern president demonstrates that political inclusion is working and that cross-regional solidarity is worth building and protecting.

“No government is flawless, and A4A does not claim otherwise. Democracy keeps its place for criticism, scrutiny and the ballot. But when the questions before the nation are stability, continuity, security and unity, the sensible answer is to hold the course and finish what has been started.

“Traditional rulers are called to counsel for peace and cohesion. The leaders of A4A deserve commendation for putting national interest ahead of regional comfort. Nigerians, North and South, are invited to reaffirm the understandings that have held the country together,” he added.