Fresh cracks have emerged within Nigeria’s opposition bloc ahead of the 2027 presidential election as major political parties and pressure groups faulted the position of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that no southern candidate can defeat President Bola Tinubu in the next general election.
The parties, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Labour Party, Young Progressives Party, Social Democratic Party, New Nigeria People’s Party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, as well as both the Kwankwasiyya and Obidient Movements, disagreed with the former vice president over his stand.
In separate exclusive interviews, they insisted that the presidency should remain in the South in the interest of fairness, national cohesion and political stability.
The disagreement followed a statement issued on Sunday by Atiku’s media aide, Olusola Sanni, warning opposition parties against zoning their presidential tickets to the South.
The former vice president’s camp argued that while the ruling All Progressives Congress may retain its southern presidential configuration around Tinubu, it would be politically unwise for the opposition to adopt the same approach.
“The first and most obvious question is this: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president? Nigerian political history offers no precedent for such an outcome.“
No incumbent president has ever been defeated by an opposition challenger from the same geopolitical bloc. To insist otherwise is to enter the contest already defeated,” the statement had read
The Atiku camp also argued that by 2027, the South would have spent more years in power than the North since the return of democracy in 1999.
“By 2027, the South would have held presidential power for approximately 18 years in the Fourth Republic, compared to about 10 years for the North. If the South retains power for another four years, that disparity widens even further.
“It therefore becomes difficult to understand the justice in an argument that seeks to deepen an already existing imbalance under the guise of equity,” Sanni stated.
But reacting in separate interviews with The PUNCH, opposition parties dismissed the argument as politically narrow, divisive and inconsistent with the country’s power-sharing understanding.
The National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Ejimofor Opara, said the South should be allowed to complete its turn in office, insisting that Tinubu remained defeatable despite Atiku’s calculations.
“It is the turn of the South, and we strongly believe that every right-thinking northerner should support it. We must bear in mind that four years are far better than eight years. Any other southerner promising a four-year single tenure is a fraudster,” he said.
According to Opara, “The so-called coalition has been returned to default mode. What is certain is that Tinubu’s votes would increase significantly, and he will not lose Lagos this time.”
But reacting in separate interviews with The PUNCH, opposition parties dismissed the argument as politically narrow, divisive and inconsistent with the country’s power-sharing understanding.
The National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Ejimofor Opara, said the South should be allowed to complete its turn in office, insisting that Tinubu remained defeatable despite Atiku’s calculations.
“It is the turn of the South, and we strongly believe that every right-thinking northerner should support it. We must bear in mind that four years are far better than eight years. Any other southerner promising a four-year single tenure is a fraudster,” he said.
According to Opara, “The so-called coalition has been returned to default mode. What is certain is that Tinubu’s votes would increase significantly, and he will not lose Lagos this time.”
“Nigeria has had presidents from both the North and the South since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, yet the country’s challenges have continued to worsen in many respects.
“This suggests that where a president comes from is far less important than whether he possesses the competence, vision and capacity to deliver transformational leadership,” he said.
Drawing an analogy, Egbeola-Martins added, “When an individual is critically ill and at the point of death, he does not ask for a doctor from his tribe or region but seeks the most competent doctor capable of saving his life. That same principle should guide Nigerians when choosing those who will manage the affairs of the nation.
“We must move beyond tribe, religion and region and place greater emphasis on competence, character and capacity.”
The spokesman for the SDP, Rufus Aiyenigba, also insisted that the party had the capacity to defeat Tinubu in 2027, despite fielding a southern candidate.
“A southern candidate in the person of Prince Adewole Adebayo has emerged as the presidential candidate of the SDP in the 2027 general election.
“The SDP is poised to give the ruling party a run for its money, particularly considering its underwhelming performance,” he said.
Aiyenigba noted that Nigerians were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the state of the economy and insecurity across the country.
“People are hungry. Inflation is rising. Businesses are collapsing, and insecurity remains a major concern in many parts of the country. These are the issues that will shape the next election, not merely where a candidate comes from,” he added.
Similarly, NNPP National Chairman, Yusuf Bala Usman, argued that Nigerians, not political elites, would determine who becomes president in 2027.
“Atiku is not thinking in the direction of Nigerians. The election is for Nigerians. They will decide who they want to vote for or not. Whether you are from the North or South, it doesn’t matter,” he stated.
Bala, however, acknowledged the existence of an informal power-sharing arrangement between the North and South.
“But the issue is we have a written agreement that the South will do eight years, while the North will do another eight years. So, since we have that written agreement, now it’s the South that is doing its eight years.
“So, Tinubu is doing his first four years, and the next four years will depend on who Nigerians want to give in the South,” he added.
“All I know is that we have this understanding between the North and South. So, if some parties zone their ticket to the South, it is their own political strategy or implementation. Those who feel it ought to be zoned to the North also see it as their strategy.
“So, it depends on Nigerians to decide who they want to choose. That’s why we have a multi-party system in Nigeria. I don’t see that as a problem. Each individual has their view. But Nigerians are watching and listening,” Bala stated.
The spokesman for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Muhammed, described Atiku’s position as insulting and divisive.
“I believe Atiku is only talking for himself. I think his desperation is such that he could not even hide it or give it a different colour.
“To me, that statement is insulting. It is like saying there is no qualified person other than yourself in all the states in the South,” he said.
Muhammed accused the former vice president of promoting sentiments capable of deepening regional divisions.
“The former vice president has continued to showcase some kind of primordial thoughts. This does not actually relate to someone who has experience, once run with a southerner, worked with southerners and even married a southerner.
