Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, a prominent Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former member of Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC), has called on the party to prioritize a southern candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, Pearse emphasized the importance of a southern presidency in addressing national sentiments and political equity.
“The national opinion now, the tendency, the feeling generally, is that the PDP should field a southerner for president in 2027,” Pearse stated.
“We need somebody from the South to complete these four years, to complete the eight years of southern presidency so that we can rescue Nigeria,” he added.
Pearse, who served as the Head of the Directorate of Documentation and Reporting for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign in Lagos, argued that a northern candidate might not be in the party’s best interest for the next presidential race.
“It is not strategic, it is not in our best interest to say we are supporting a northerner for president,” he added.
Addressing the possibility of political alliances, Pearse dismissed the likelihood of a merger between the PDP and other opposition parties like the Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). He pointed out the historical challenges of forging successful political alliances in Nigeria.
“An alliance in our politics, even abroad, is very difficult because it is hard for competing groups and leaders to give way for one or the other,”
“It is not easy, and it is not even realistic. We tried it before, and I have a lot of experience with this,” he stated.
He expressed confidence in the PDP’s ability to secure victory in the 2027 elections without merging with other political entities.
“It is not possible for PDP to go into any alliance in 2027. I personally think it is very unlikely,” Pearse concluded.