Why it’s unfair for North to reclaim presidency in 2027 – Okupe

A former Director-General of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, of the Labour Party (LP), Dr. Doyin Okupe, has said it will be unfair for the North to reclaim power in 2027, saying the South should be allowed to complete 8 years.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria yesterday in Lagos, Okupe argued that geopolitical considerations make it unfair for the North to reclaim the presidency in 2027.

This is coming amidst recent activation of consultations by critical stakeholders in the North and South ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Okupe acknowledged that the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, is eminently qualified to run in 2027, but said aspirants from the North should shelve their ambitions in the interest of national cohesion.

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He contended that Atiku’s candidacy would face the same challenges as in 2023 when his bid was perceived as “Disrupting the North-South power rotation.”

Okupe said, “Atiku failed in 2023, not because he was not a good person, but because people felt that a northern Muslim cannot succeed another northern Muslim after eight years.

“If Atiku still contests in 2027, he has a right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have, but geopolitics is an issue. The conditionality still persists, a Southerner would have just completed four years and needs another four-year term.

“It’s not in the constitution, but we agree that when a Northerner does his eight years, a Southerner will do. So, the North cannot now terminate the tenure of the South in 2027. It is not going to work.”