, has urged a political coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South.){kind=link}
A political advocacy group, the South-North Progressives Forum (SNPF), has urged a political coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
The appeal was made by the Convener of the group, Onyekwulisi Ikechwuku, during a press conference held on Saturday in Abuja under the theme, “The South Deserves Another Tenure of Four Years.”
The group, which identified itself as non-partisan, stated that it has members across various political parties throughout the country.
Highlighting historical trends, Ikechwuku pointed out that since the shift from parliamentary democracy in 1957 to constitutional democracy in 1999, the North has occupied the presidency for a cumulative 24 years, while the South has held it for 18 years.
He stressed that it was now necessary to correct this imbalance and promote equal opportunity for all regions to lead the nation.
According to him, the federal character principle, which was designed to ensure fairness in federal appointments and public resource allocation, falls short when it comes to elective offices.
He proposed a more inclusive solution: “Hence, we propose an explicit constitutional framework for power oscillation between the South and North, allowing regional blocs to micro zone the presidency and ensure every Nigerian has a voice in our national development.”
He further suggested: “Alternatively, there should be an executive bill for electoral reform that will engender power rotation in all our political parties in order to maintain the ease of power equality across the sub-regions.”
The SNPF called on all political stakeholders, parties, and in particular the proposed coalition platform, to support the South in producing the next presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
“We call on all patriots, stakeholders, and organizations, political parties, especially the purported coalition platform, to join us in ceding their presidential candidates to the South for the 2027 election, ensuring another tenure of four years,” Ikechwuku stated.
He emphasized that this movement is not driven by political partisanship but by national interest and fairness, which would help Nigerians make choices based on merit and unity.
He concluded, “We commit to leading the same campaign for the North in 2031, demonstrating our passion for equality and stability in nation building.”
As part of their broader efforts, the group announced plans for an extensive mobilisation campaign aimed at securing a minimum of 10 million eligible voters before 2027, with 80 percent expected to come from Northern Nigeria.