2027 Presidency: Anyim Calls for Power Shift to North After Tinubu

Former Senate President and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has said the presidency should move to the North after President Bola Tinubu’s second term and subsequently return to the South-East.

Anyim made the remarks during an interview with Arise News, where he spoke about rotational presidency and the political strategy he believes the South-East should adopt ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, President Tinubu, who is from the South-West, should be allowed to complete a second term before the presidency moves to the North.
“Certainly, the President has taken it from the Southwest and is entitled to a second term. After his second term, I believe in rotation, and it will go to the North. After the North, it will come down to the East after eight years,” Anyim said.

He argued that such an arrangement would be consistent with the principle of rotational presidency, while stressing that the South-East would need to build alliances with other regions to pursue its presidential ambition.

“You need to support others so that they can support you,” he said.
nyim said political parties should also operate as platforms built around common interests and objectives.

“Political parties should be like a family with a common understanding and objective,” he added.

On the political future of the South-East, the former Senate President said leaders in the region should think beyond immediate political benefits and focus on long-term goals.

He said political alliances were necessary because the region could not achieve its objectives by acting alone.
“I have given you one reason from the beginning: you need to align with another region in order to get your ultimate goal. This is political arithmetic, not about what he has done for that region or for Nigeria,” Anyim said.

Read Also: No Escape for Suspects Accused of Raping Children, Abia Govt Declares

He argued that democracy and nation-building should be anchored on principles such as justice, inclusivity, citizens’ rights, institutional development and the rule of law.

“When you talk about democracy and nation-building, you should be talking about principles, institutions, fundamental objectives, liberty of the individual, rights of citizens, justice, inclusivity, and the rule of law,” he said.

Anyim also said his political concern was to ensure that future generations in the South-East had a stronger sense of belonging and access to opportunities.

“My concern is not what I become—God has been so kind—but in my lifetime, I should be able to be sure that one day my children, my children’s children, and the younger generation in the Southeast will have that sense of inclusion and belonging,” he said.

On Peter Obi, Anyim said he respected the former Anambra governor but did not endorse his 2023 presidential campaign because they belonged to different political camps.

“Peter is my friend and my brother, and I respect him,” he said.

“But I belong to a separate party from where he is, so I did not endorse him. Peter is my friend, but we are not in the same political family. We are in different political camps.”

Anyim further said the APC had the potential to make a significant impact in the South-East despite Obi’s political influence in the region.

“As far as I’m concerned, APC as a party has every reason and ground to make its own impact in the Southeast, and I can assure you that APC will greatly impact the Southeast,” he said.