2027: Whatever Tinubu asks, I’ll do… I’m 100% loyal to him, says Barau

Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, says he will do whatever President Bola Tinubu asks of him in 2027.

Barau spoke on Wednesday at a press briefing ahead of the zonal public hearings of the senate committee on constitution review.

Responding to questions on growing calls for him to be Tinubu’s running mate in the next election, Barau said it is too early to discuss politics.

“Honestly, I don’t want to say anything about this now. What is clear is that Mr President, since the beginning of this administration, has been working very hard to change the trajectory of this country,” he said.

Barau said Tinubu inherited enormous challenges and has shown open-mindedness and commitment to national progress.

“We’ve been working with him day and night because he’s the father of the nation. At this time, there’s no point talking about running mate issues. What he is doing is a work in progress, and we all must support him,” he said.

He said groups promoting his candidacy should focus on governance for now.

“I told them, instead of wasting energy on things that are not relevant now, channel your resources to support the president. When the time comes, we’ll play politics. But this time is for governance,” he said.

Barau described Tinubu as his political father and credited him with his rise in politics.

“You’ll be surprised if I start telling you what he has done for me and my people,” he said.

“When we had issues in Kano, he resolved them. He ensured I got the senate ticket and stood by me to become deputy senate president.

“So, if the time comes and he says, ‘I want you to work with me,’ I’ll say, ‘Thank you, sir,’ and I will do it. Whatever he asks me to do, I’ll do. I’m loyal to him 100 percent.”

The deputy senate president said he and Tinubu belong to the same political tradition.

“Our faiths are tied together. We are both from the progressive family. I’m a progressive to the core, and we cherish loyalty. In 2027, I’ll do whatever he tells me to do,” he said.

Earlier, Barau said the committee on constitution review had received 59 bills and 31 proposals, adding that zonal public hearings will be held in six locations, including Ikot Ekpene, Kano, Lagos, Jos, Maiduguri, and Enugu.

According to him, each hearing will be chaired by senior senators representing the respective zones.

The Northern Nigeria Progressive Youth Assembly (NNPYA) had in recent days canvassed support for Barau as a possible replacement for Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, Ismail Mudashir, special adviser on media and publicity to the deputy senate president, said his principal had no hand in the campaign and considered it “ill-timed”.