The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, has called on former lawmakers to support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, stressing that the President should be allowed to complete his reform agenda.
Barau made the appeal on Saturday during the 2026 National Summit of Former Legislators, themed “National Unity and Nation Building: Beyond 2031,” held in Abuja.
The summit was organised by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL) and convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
A statement issued in Abuja by Barau’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, said the event was attended by former Senate Presidents Pius Anyim and Ken Nnamani, former Speakers of the House of Representatives Patricia Eteh and Yakubu Dogara, among others.
Barau said Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms in office in line with the rotational principle that has been adopted since the return to democracy in 1999.
“I appeal that we should abide by the principle of rotation, which has brought sanity and equality since the beginning of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
“Of course, now the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is in his first term and, as noted by other speakers, let’s not reinvent the wheel.
“We’ve seen that the rotational system is working. We shall allow it to work. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be allowed to do two full terms,” Barau added.
His position mirrored earlier calls by the NFFL National Coordinator, Raphael Igbokwe, and other former presiding officers who urged Tinubu to complete two terms in the interest of equity and stability.
When asked if the rotational principle should be embedded in the Constitution, Barau said he would forward the proposal to the National Assembly.
“I will certainly do that,” he said.
He also emphasised the need for national unity, mentorship, and continuity in governance, assuring that the National Assembly would collaborate with the forum.
“The leadership of the National Assembly remains open to collaboration with NFFL and similar bodies. Governance does not end with tenure, and patriotism is a lifelong duty,” he said.
Barau praised the forum for organising the summit, describing former legislators as valuable assets to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Former legislators occupy a unique and respected place in our national life. Your experience, institutional memory and statesmanship remain invaluable national assets,” he said.
In a communique issued at the end of the summit, the forum passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu and endorsed him as its sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The motion for the adoption of the communique was moved by former Senator Yakubu Hussaini (Kogi) and seconded by Senator Florence Ita Giwa (Cross River).
