The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, has declared that he will fully support President Bola Tinubu’s decisions regarding the 2027 general election, including any move to pick him as running mate.

Barau made this known on Wednesday, during a press briefing in Abuja, while responding to questions about calls from political groups urging the President to adopt him as his running mate for the 2027 presidential race.

“Whatever the President asks me to do, I will do it — 100 per cent. “He is my political father. If he calls on me to work with him, I will simply say, ‘Thank you, sir’ and I will do it,” Barau said.

The Kano-born lawmaker stressed that it was too early to talk about 2027 politics, saying the focus now should be on governance and supporting the President’s efforts to develop the country.

“Mr President has been working hard to reposition Nigeria and tackle the problems he inherited. He is a kind-hearted and open-minded leader who stood by me when I faced challenges in Kano.

“The President is the father of the nation. But for now, we stand by him, we are working with him, and we want him to succeed. When he succeeds, we all succeed,” he said.

Barau added that some groups pushing for him to be vice president meant well, but he had advised them to focus on supporting Tinubu’s administration instead of engaging in premature politicking.

“When the time comes, we will talk politics. For now, let us face governance and support Mr President to succeed. When he succeeds, we all succeed,” he said.

He reiterated his commitment to the ideals of the progressive political family to which both he and Tinubu belong, adding that loyalty remained a core value of his political journey.

“I am a progressive to the core, and loyalty is something I cherish deeply. I am 100 per cent loyal to Mr President,” he stated.

Barau also used the briefing to highlight preparations for the zonal public hearings of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, which he said would deliberate on 59 bills and 31 proposals already submitted.

He noted that further contributions from Nigerians were expected in the form of memoranda during the hearings, which would be held across six geopolitical zones.

The zones are Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom (South-South) – chaired by Senate President Godswill Akpabio or his representative; Kano (North-West) – chaired by Barau Jibrin and Lagos (South-West) – chaired by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.

Others are Jos (North-Central) – chaired by Deputy Senate Leader, Lola Ashiru, Maiduguri (North-East) – chaired by Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno and Enugu (South-East) – chaired by Deputy Chief Whip, Peter Nwebonyi.

The hearings aim to gather public input on proposed constitutional amendments.

• Senator Barau Jibrin

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, has declared his readiness to serve as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 presidential election, if the president desired it.

Barau had earlier in the week condemned calls for him to be Tinubu’s running mate in 2027 by some group, saying it was bad politics and inauspicious.

Thus, his new position followed recent agitation by a northern political group calling on Tinubu to consider replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima in the next election cycle.

Responding, Barau distanced himself from the group but expressed gratitude for the confidence they reposed in him.

But speaking to journalists at the National Assembly, Abuja, yesterday, Barau said he owed his political rise to Tinubu and would do “whatever he asks” as a matter of principle and loyalty.

“Whatever the president tells me to do, I will do. I’m loyal to him 100%. If he says I should be his running mate, I will say, ‘Thank you, sir,’ and I will do it,” he said.

• Gabriel Suswam, former governor of Benue State.

A former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam has declared that he will likely quit the PDP if the wranglings rocking the party is not resolved.

The ex-governor said there’s a possibility that he would dump the party, where he served as a two-term governor and senator for an alternative party.

Suswam’s comment followed PDP’s fresh conflict after Samuel Anyanwu was reinstated as the party’s national publicity secretary.

However, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is not pleased with the development as the party leaders blasted Umar Damagum, the party’s Acting National Chairman, for Anyanwu’s reinstatement.

The NWC., in a statement released on Wednesday, accused Damagum of making statements and taking actions that allegedly undermine the party’s constitutionally recognised structures.