Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for Peter Obi and now a member of the opposition coalition, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will retain power in 2027 if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presents a southern candidate like Obi as its presidential flag bearer.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday, the actor-turned-lawyer argued that to unseat Tinubu, the opposition must rally behind a strong northern contender with national appeal.
“My strategy this time around is that I am going to support a northerner in 2027,” Okonkwo said.
“It must be a northerner that the whole north is willing to support.
“If the whole north is willing to support an Atiku, why not?
“If the whole north is willing to support a Tambuwal, why not? The person must be qualified, and if he has experience in the presidency, it is an added advantage, and when he puts up something from the south, that will push him through,” he added.
Okonkwo, who served as one of the lead spokesmen for Obi during the 2023 presidential election, severed ties with the Labour Party in July 2024, citing internal crises and Obi’s failure to resolve them.
President Tinubu, who defeated Obi and Atiku in the 2023 general election, assumed office in May 2023 and is expected to seek re-election in 2027. His presidency followed an eight-year tenure by Muhammadu Buhari, a northern leader from the North-West, continuing Nigeria’s informal practice of rotating power between the northern and southern regions.
While Tinubu, a southerner from Lagos State, eyes a second term, Okonkwo believes the opposition must be strategic to stand a chance.
“Tinubu has become incurably bad and we want to terminate his incumbency,” he said.
“Anybody telling you it’s injustice if the north comes in, if the south comes in, and whoever wins in a primary election will take it for four years. Where is the injustice? It has happened before.
“Anybody telling you to bring a fresh southerner to compete against Tinubu, a southerner, is trying to tell you to zone the ticket to Tinubu and Tinubu will win outright,” Okonkwo concluded.
He said since the APC is presenting Tinubu to be its flag bearer, the opposition coalition must present a northerner to challenge him.
“If you bring somebody from the Southeast, even if he wins, they will steal it from him.
“Let me tell you the strategy that will make the Southeast man to be president. Do you know the South-West has never contested an election against an incumbent? Strategy? Because they know that in Nigeria, if you don’t have the establishment supporting you, even if you win, they will steal it from you.
“Peter Obi won the election in 2023, and they stole it from us. If you do it again, they will steal it from him because there is no incumbent to back you, but if you bring somebody from the north, nobody will prevail on him to leave his victory because he is not from the same side as you,” he said.
