The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, has urged former lawmakers to support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027 to enable him fully implement his reform agenda.
Barau made the call on Saturday at 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, with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, as convener.
A statement released in Abuja by Barau’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, disclosed that 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 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,” Barau 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,” he added.
His position echoed 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.
Responding to requests for the rotational principle to be embedded in the Constitution, Barau pledged to forward the proposal to the National Assembly.
“I will certainly do that,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President stressed the importance of national unity, mentorship and continuity in governance, assuring that the National Assembly was open to collaboration 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.
He commended 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,” Barau 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 a former senator, Yakubu Hussaini (Kogi), and seconded by Senator Florence Ita Giwa (Cross River).
