Geopolitical Considerations for Nigeria’s 2027 Presidential Race: Okupe Advocates for Southern Candidacy
In a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, Dr. Doyin Okupe, former spokesperson and Director-General of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Organization, emphasized that the presidency of Nigeria should be held by a Southerner in the 2027 elections, rather than returning to the North. Earlier this month, Okupe expressed concerns regarding the fairness of allowing the North to regain the presidency following President Bola Tinubu’s tenure, which he argues has geopolitical implications.
“A candidate from the South should be given the opportunity to complete an eight-year tenure, just as the North did prior to Tinubu’s administration,” Okupe asserted. He acknowledged that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), possesses strong qualifications to run again in 2027. However, he cautioned that Atiku’s prospects would likely mirror the challenges he faced in 2023, where his candidacy was interpreted as a challenge to the North-South power rotation.
Okupe explained, “Atiku’s inability to win in 2023 wasn’t due to his capabilities as a candidate but rather the perception that a Northern Muslim succeeding another Northern Muslim after eight years was unacceptable.” He stressed that the existing political sentiments would pose challenges for Atiku, who would be seen as disrupting the balance that emerged from the previous eight years of Northern leadership.
While expressing support for Peter Obi—who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last election—Okupe noted that the dynamics make it difficult for Obi to contend with Tinubu successfully. He remarked, “Although Obi is young, ambitious, and has potential, the prevailing geopolitical realities cannot be ignored.”
Moreover, Okupe assessed the potential for political alliances to displace Tinubu in the 2027 elections. He suggested that such alliances are likely to struggle due to participants’ unwillingness to make necessary concessions. “After over four decades in politics,” he lamented, “we have not matured to the point where we can engage in rational discussions and collaboratively meet group interests.”
Reflecting on the alliance that successfully propelled former President Buhari to power in 2015, Okupe contrasted it with current political alignments. He commended Tinubu for making significant concessions to ensure that alliance functioned effectively, which, according to him, is not the case with today’s opposition leaders such as Atiku, Obi, and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso. “This level of political maturity that is required for a successful coalition does not currently exist,” he concluded.
As Nigerians prepare for the upcoming 2027 presidential race, the discourse surrounding the necessity of a Southern candidate amidst pressing geopolitical considerations is sure to reverberate through political circles.
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