Doyin Okupe
Dr. Doyin Okupe, a former Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, has stated that the South, not the North, should produce Nigeria’s president in 2027.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, Okupe emphasized that fairness demands the South be given the opportunity to complete its eight-year term, similar to the North before President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
While acknowledging Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, as highly qualified to contest in 2027, Okupe argued that geopolitical considerations, rather than age, make it unsuitable for Atiku to become president.
“Atiku failed in 2023, not because he was not a good person, but because people felt that a northern Muslim cannot succeed another northern Muslim after eight years.
“If Atiku still contests in 2027, he has a right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have, but geopolitics is an issue.
“The conditionality still persists; a southerner would have just completed four years and needs another four-year term.
“It’s not in the constitution, but we agree that when a northerner does his eight years, a southerner will do.
“So, the North cannot now terminate the tenure of the South in 2027. It is not going to work,” Okupe said.
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