President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in office received a significant boost on Saturday, September 13, 2025, after his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, rallied the Southern Caucus of the Forum of Former Legislators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to formally adopt him as their sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The endorsement came during a summit held at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The gathering brought together influential political figures, including former presiding officers and principal members of the House of Representatives from the South-west, South-south, and South-east regions. Notably, members of the Northern Caucus of former legislators also attended, among them Hon. Yakubu Dogara, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. The event was chaired by Senator Ken Nnamani, a former Senate President, underscoring its national importance.
In a communiqué issued at the close of the summit, the Southern Caucus praised Tinubu’s leadership, citing his economic and governance reforms as evidence of purposeful administration. According to the statement, the president’s policies over the past two years have re-engineered Nigeria’s economy, strengthened the national currency, and set the country on a path of socio-economic renewal.
Speaking at the forum, Chief of Staff Gbajabiamila highlighted Tinubu’s signing of tax reforms into law, which he said has introduced “a new era of economic justice built on fairness, accountability, and national purpose.” He referenced a World Bank Development Update showing that the Nigerian economy expanded by 4.6 percent in the last quarter of 2024, resulting in an annual growth rate of 3.4 percent—the fastest pace in a decade.
Gbajabiamila further explained that fiscal discipline under Tinubu’s administration had reduced the federal deficit from 5.4 percent of GDP in 2023 to 3 percent in 2024. This progress, he noted, boosted federation revenues from ₦16.8 trillion in 2023 to an estimated ₦31.9 trillion in 2024. He emphasized that economic growth was inseparable from national unity, arguing that Nigeria’s development must be underpinned by peace and cohesion.
“The country can draw strength and inspiration from culture, music, arts, and traditions. Nation-building is a joint task that goes beyond building roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals; it is about forging a sense of common identity and purpose among the citizens,” Gbajabiamila stated. He also credited Tinubu with establishing development commissions across all six geopolitical zones to channel resources toward infrastructure and human capital development.
The Chief of Staff stressed that former legislators have played—and continue to play—critical roles in Nigeria’s democratic journey. He observed that “the federal cabinet alone includes 15 former members of the National Assembly. That number does not include the President, the Vice President, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and me, all of whom are veterans of the federal parliament.” He added that the dominance of former lawmakers in key government positions reflects both Tinubu’s recognition of their contributions and the legislature’s role in nurturing governance talent.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, the host of the summit, delivered a message underscoring the collective responsibility of nation-building. He argued that unity should not mean uniformity but a recognition of Nigeria’s diversity under principles of justice, equity, and mutual respect. Abiodun described former legislators as embodiments of representative democracy who must continue to champion inclusive governance and inter-regional cooperation.
The chairman of the occasion, Senator Nnamani, used his opening remarks to call for deeper collaboration among former lawmakers in addressing national challenges. Echoing this sentiment, former Speaker Dogara urged Nigerians not to lose faith in Tinubu’s leadership. He warned against political actors he described as “pretenders,” whose motives, he argued, are rooted more in vengeance and power than patriotism.
Dogara said, “The structure of the pretenders was built on mendacity, fury, and spectacle,” but assured that the nation is already seeing signs of economic recovery.
Adding her voice, former Speaker Patricia Etteh called for unity, dialogue, and shared vision as key drivers of democratic progress and sustainable development. Hon. Raphael Igbokwe, the summit’s National Coordinator, reinforced that the meeting was designed to provide a platform for generating solutions to Nigeria’s pressing issues while encouraging collaboration between sub-national governments and the federal government.
The communiqué, read by Edo State’s Attorney General, Hon. Samson Osagie, and formally adopted through a motion moved by Senator Magnus Abe, commended Tinubu’s reforms, including the creation of regional development commissions, local government autonomy, a national student loan scheme, and the deregulation of the electricity sector.
The communiqué further declared: “That as a body, we will always align ourselves to those things that will promote the unity, peace, and prosperity of our dear country, Nigeria. We commend the patriotic courage of our colleagues of the Northern caucus in calling for the South to complete their tenure of the leadership of the country. We affirm that it is the turn of the South to complete its tenure. We posit that it is in the best interest of the South and the nation that the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, completes the tenure of the South. Accordingly, we adopt him as the sole candidate of the South. We call on the South to support the North in 2031 to take up their tenure for the leadership of our dear country. We call on all Nigerians to pursue this course to promote national unity and firm the foundation of nation building.”
The endorsement by the Southern Caucus of former legislators not only consolidates Tinubu’s support base but also signals a widening coalition in favor of his re-election bid. With visible backing from both southern and northern former lawmakers, and the weight of reforms presented as achievements, the move is likely to shape early narratives as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
