The governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, has declared that no northern politician should contest for the presidency in the 2027 elections, advocating for the continuation of the rotational presidency arrangement to promote fairness and national unity.

Fintiri, who recently joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), appeared to reinforce the political prospects of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, also from Adamawa State, who is reportedly preparing to run for the presidency under the ADC coalition against incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Fintiri acknowledged that anyone could aspire to political office, but stressed that, according to the spirit of rotational presidency, the South should retain the presidency for the next term.

“There is no business of anybody in the North to do with the presidency at the moment. It is the turn of the South; they should complete their eight years, if we are really serious about this country. It should rotate so that we will all be our brother’s keepers,” Fintiri said.

He noted that while northern politicians, including embattled Nasir el-Rufai, may be interested in the 2027 race, the South should complete its tenure, and the state will continue to support local political engagement rather than a northern presidential bid.

Fintiri emphasized that his switch to the APC does not imply personal conflict with Atiku Abubakar, stating, “…there is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways. I am today in APC, they are in another party.”

Reiterating his support for President Tinubu, Fintiri described the incumbent as a southern candidate whose policies are delivering results: “It is still the turn of the South to complete. A northerner has no business at the moment to vie for the office of the President. If there is no other candidate, we should support Bola Tinubu GCFR to complete his tenure. After all, he has done so much. He initiated good policies that are working, that are showing us light at the end of the tunnel.”

Fintiri’s statement marks a clear political positioning ahead of 2027, aligning Adamawa State with the APC and reinforcing the narrative of rotational power as a guiding principle for Nigeria’s next presidential contest.