Uche Nwosu, a prominent chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress and former Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, has strongly criticized any political group or individual pushing for a transfer of power back to the North in 2027, describing such moves as unpatriotic.
Speaking on Saturday during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, Nwosu firmly maintained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves a second term based on the established tradition of power rotation between the South and North since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
“I am solidly for the South serving its 8 years. It is unfair for anybody to say that the South should not complete 8 years.”
“We have President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the south now, why should we at this point in time be talking of moving the power to the north?” Nwosu questioned.
He further emphasized: “President Buhari just finished 8 years. It is justifiable that the south must complete its 8 years before talking of power shift.”
“Those agitating for that power should go back to the north are being selfish. Whoever is supporting north to take power at this point in time is not patriotic and not a true Nigerian.”
Addressing the recent coalition of opposition politicians, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai, aimed at opposing Tinubu’s re-election, Nwosu dismissed the alliance as insignificant.
While acknowledging that coalitions are part of political dynamics, he stated that the Atiku-led effort “died on arrival” and predicted it would not undermine APC’s chances in the 2027 elections.
In defense of the Tinubu administration, Nwosu rejected criticisms suggesting poor performance, arguing that two years is too short a period to fairly judge any government’s achievements.
He noted, however, that President Tinubu has already made notable progress in socio-economic and infrastructural development within the short span of his leadership.
Commenting on the wave of defections from opposition parties to the APC, Nwosu said the trend was expected and should not cause alarm.
He dismissed fears that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party system, pointing out that opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) still hold governorship seats and other elected offices across the country.
Turning to the pressing issue of insecurity, Nwosu acknowledged the challenges but stressed that the problem predates the current administration.
He called for stronger community policing efforts as a solution to the country’s security woes.
“The government needs to find a way to end it. To cure a disease, you must identify the root cause of the disease first.”
“I suggest we need community policing which will involve all the rural communities in the country. At this level, the traditional rulers will be the head with helpers from the youths,” Nwosu proposed.
He added, “These are the people who have the information about their localities and so they should be able to secure it with the active involvement of security agencies.”
“Besides, we need to secure our borders with the help of the communities in those locations as well. I am happy the President met with the security chiefs and the national security adviser (NSA) to proffer a lasting solution to the menace.”