2027: “Step aside for southern presidency” – Opposition party leaders warn Atiku

Prominent opposition figures have urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to forgo his potential bid for the 2027 presidential election.

According to them, there is a need for a southern president to lead Nigeria for equity and fairness.

Diran Odeyemi, a member of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Anslem Eragbe, a chieftain of the Labour Party, stressed that power should remain in the South until 2031.

They argued that Atiku’s participation in the 2023 election disrupted the regional balance of power and contributed to internal crises within the PDP.

“Atiku should support younger Nigerians and provide guidance instead of contesting in 2027,” Eragbe told Punch.

He further advocated for zoning the presidency to the South-South region, particularly Edo and Delta states, citing their limited time in power compared to other regions.

His words: “It should be further micro-zoned to the (defunct) mid-Western region. I mean the defunct Bendel, now Edo and Delta states. We expect the major political parties to do this for equity, justice, fairness and parity.

“However, should President Bola Tinubu, win the 2027 presidential election and continue till 2031, power shall return to Northern Nigeria.”

Odeyemi agreed with the Labour Party chieftain, attributing PDP’s ongoing challenges to Atiku’s insistence on running in 2023.

“The 2023 election was originally supposed to be between southerners, as former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, had just completed eight years in office. However, Atiku insisted on exercising his rights, which is why there is a crisis in the PDP,” he stated.