FCT, Abuja – Northern stakeholders are pushing for southern aspirants to commit to a single-term agreement.
This is as coalition talks to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections gain traction.
As reported by The Punch on Monday, April 7, a source involved in the coalition negotiations disclosed that northern stakeholders are urging former Vice President Atiku Abubakar not to run. Atiku is a key chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a serial presidential candidate.
The source added that most stakeholders believe that if all coalition leaders unite behind a southern candidate, President Tinubu can be defeated.
The source divulged:
“Most of us understand that if we field a competent and credible southern candidate, defeating President Tinubu would be much easier. Therefore, many stakeholders, especially those from the North, are urging Atiku to step down and allow the coalition to support a southern candidate who will serve a single term if elected.
“In fact, some of these stakeholders are insisting that any southern aspirant the coalition will support must agree to a single-term commitment.
“These issues are emerging, but we are committed to addressing them as they arise and accommodating the many Nigerians who are fed up with the APC’s maladministration. Our goal is to ensure a fair process that represents the interests of the people and strengthens the unity of the coalition.”
‘2027 presidency: Coalition can’t stop Tinubu’
Meanwhile, Umar, the first son of the late Aliyu Akwe-Doma, former Nasarawa state governor, said no coalition gang-up can stop Tinubu’s re-election.
Akwe-Doma declared that no political alliance, especially in northern Nigeria, would stop Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He vowed to collapse the entire structure of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Nasarawa state into the All Progressives Congress (APC) to strengthen the ruling party’s presence and support Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
Obi speaks on possibility of defecting to APC
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ahead of the 2027 election, Peter Obi said that he was not a member of the ruling APC and did not intend to become a member in the future.
In a recent statement shared on his verified X page, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election said his stance on politics was always rooted in integrity, fairness, and issue-based engagement.
The 63-year-old expressed his firm belief that all political parties should ‘assess aspirants solely on their competence, capacity, and compassion – qualities essential for building a better Nigeria’.
