Dr. Doyin Okupe, former spokesperson and Director-General of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, has asserted that the presidency of Nigeria should rotate to the South in 2027, emphasizing that it would be unfair for the North to reclaim the office after the tenure of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, Okupe outlined that geopolitical factors make it inappropriate for the North to hold the presidency again following the completion of Tinubu’s administration.
While acknowledging the qualifications of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okupe stated that Atiku’s potential candidacy in 2027 could face the same challenges that arose in 2023. Atiku’s bid was viewed by many as a challenge to the North-South power rotation, which he believes remains a crucial issue.
“The problem with Atiku’s candidacy in 2027 is not his qualifications or age,” Okupe explained. “It’s about geopolitics. People felt in 2023 that a northern Muslim could not succeed another northern Muslim after eight years. The same perception would likely persist in 2027.”
Okupe argued that after the completion of a Southern president’s term, as mandated by the informal power rotation system, it would be inappropriate for the North to disrupt this balance in 2027.
“The conditionality still persists. A Southerner will have just completed four years and should be allowed another four-year term. It’s not in the constitution, but there is a general agreement that when a Northerner completes his eight years, the next president should come from the South,” he said.
Regarding the potential candidacy of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Okupe suggested that Obi could also contest the 2027 election as a Southerner. However, he noted that Obi would face significant challenges in unseating the incumbent president.
“Obi is a young, dynamic, and ambitious politician, and he can contest. But given the current political climate, it will be difficult for him to dislodge Tinubu,” Okupe stated. “Geopolitics is key in a nation like ours that hasn’t achieved full unity.”
Okupe also weighed in on the possibility of political alliances to unseat Tinubu in 2027. He expressed skepticism, stating that such alliances would likely fail due to the lack of mutual concessions among political leaders.
“I’ve been in this game for over 40 years, and I’ve seen numerous alliances crumble. Our political maturity is still developing. Even in private business, 90% of partnerships fail within the first three years,” he said.
Okupe recalled the political alliance that brought former President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015. While critical of the alliance at the time, he acknowledged the strategic concessions made by Tinubu, the key leader of the alliance, to ensure its success.
“The leader of the 2015 alliance, Tinubu, demonstrated maturity and selflessness by making concessions to make the alliance work,” Okupe said. “Unfortunately, this level of maturity is not yet evident in our current opposition leaders.”
Okupe expressed doubts about the ability of opposition figures such as Atiku, Obi, and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso to come together in a cohesive and effective alliance against Tinubu in 2027, citing the lack of political maturity and willingness to compromise.
“The kind of maturity needed to form a successful alliance is still lacking among our political leaders,” Okupe concluded. “Any alliance formed will end up in futility.”
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