…As ex-lawmakers adopt President as South’s sole candidate
President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, has declared that the removal of fuel subsidy was not a political gamble but an “extraordinary act of statesmanship” aimed at saving Nigeria’s future.
Speaking at the 2025 Southern Summit of former legislators in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Gbajabiamila said Tinubu’s bold reforms — including fuel subsidy removal, new tax laws, and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund — proved he was acting for the next generation, not the next election.
“These are not the actions of a politician thinking about 2027. They are the actions of a leader determined to secure the nation’s fortune”, Gbajabiamila stated.
The summit, themed: ‘National Unity: Bedrock of Nation Building’, drew heavyweights, including ex-Senate President Ken Nnamani; former Speakers Yakubu Dogara and Patricia Etteh, Ogun state governor, Dapo Abiodun and APC National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru.
The gathering ended with a dramatic declaration: Tinubu was formally adopted as the sole candidate of the South for the 2027 presidential election.
The communiqué, read by ex-lawmaker Samson Osagie, affirmed that the South must complete its two terms, after which power should return to the North in 2031.
Dogara cautioned Nigerians against “pretenders” bent on distraction, while Governor Abiodun insisted Tinubu and the South must be allowed a second term. The former Speaker stressed that while reforms brought hardship, they were necessary sacrifices: “Fixing what has long been broken imposes costs, entails sacrifice, and takes time.”
The Forum urged Nigerians to rally around Tinubu for unity and stability, describing him as the only candidate who embodies the South’s mandate.
