Otunba Segun Showunmi, leader of the Alternative Movement, has urged Northern political leaders and residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that doing so would honour the political understanding he said facilitated the transfer of power from the late President Muhammadu Buhari to Tinubu in 2023.
Showunmi made the appeal on Monday, November 9, during a prayer gathering in honour of the late Buhari at Chawey Centre in Katsina State.
He argued that Buhari’s decision to support Tinubu’s emergence after completing his eight-year tenure should be reciprocated by the North, describing the relationship between the two leaders as a political partnership built on trust and mutual understanding.
According to him, supporting Tinubu for a second term would sustain the political arrangement that enabled the peaceful transition of power in 2023.
“Katsina, to me, is my second home. It is also to come and resurrect the idea that in this place where we call ‘Ma’agin Mutani Amana’, the people that used to keep trust, the trust of 2027 is where Muhammadu Buhari left it,” he said.
Showunmi described Buhari as a leader who demonstrated simplicity, discipline and respect for political agreements, urging the North to recognise Tinubu’s relationship with the former president.
He also pointed to the honour accorded Buhari by the Tinubu administration, including during his burial, as evidence of the relationship between the two leaders.
“This is the time to return the favour,” he said, expressing confidence in Tinubu’s administration and its development agenda.
The appeal comes amid growing political discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly over zoning, power rotation and the question of continuity in the APC-led administration.
During the visit, Showunmi paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Katsina, HRH Alhaji Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, CFR, who welcomed the engagement and stressed the importance of love, peace and harmony.
He also met with Katsina State Deputy Governor, Faruk Lawal Jobe, who highlighted the state government’s commitment to people-oriented programmes and development projects.
At a separate engagement with members of the Katsina TikTokers and Facebook Media Forum, Showunmi urged social media influencers to use their platforms to promote national development and constructive political engagement.
He called on them to communicate government policies and programmes to the public, while encouraging political discussions centred on governance and national progress.
The forum, led by its chairman, Sani Salisu Danbaba, and the State Coordinator of the Alternative Movement, Umar Salisu Rimaye, expressed readiness to collaborate with Showunmi in promoting awareness of the Tinubu administration’s policies.
However, the social media representatives also appealed for capacity-building opportunities, training, empowerment and institutional support to strengthen their activities and improve their contribution to public engagement.
