Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has thrown himself headlong into President Bola Tinubu’s re-election battle, more than two years before the first ballot will be cast.
The self-styled “farmer-governor” has gone as far as declaring himself Tinubu’s campaign director-general for 2027, promising to plant the headquarters of the re-election machinery not in Abuja or Lagos, but in Minna.
“For crying out loud, this man has just spent two years in office, and you want it to come back to the north. How?” Bago asked during a TV appearance on Politics on Sunday.
“When he finishes his eight years, power will come to the north, and northerners who want to contest can then contest.”
His blunt intervention is a warning shot to northern politicians already agitating for a return to power. In Bago’s view, talk of 2027 is not only premature, it risks upsetting the fragile balance of Nigeria’s rotational presidency.
“Nigeria coexists peacefully because we have agreed to a rotation; the north will do eight years, the south will do eight years,” he said.
The governor’s confidence is not limited to rhetoric. He insists Niger State’s youths are firmly behind Tinubu.
“These people you are talking about don’t control the youths. We control the youths, and the youths are with Asiwaju. As far as we are concerned in Niger State, Asiwaju 2027 is constant.”
Bago’s declaration is as much about local politics as it is about national calculations. By staking his political future on Tinubu’s, he shores up his relevance in Abuja while positioning himself as a northern gatekeeper for 2031, when the region expects to reclaim the presidency.
His strategy is also a response to critics who see him as inexperienced. Aligning openly with Tinubu allows him to cast Niger as the president’s safest northern stronghold.
But the gamble carries risks. Nigeria’s political loyalties shift quickly, and a poor showing by Tinubu on the economy or security could make early endorsements a liability.
In Niger State itself, where banditry and unemployment remain acute, Bago’s promise of unflinching loyalty to the president may be tested against local frustrations.