A political scholar, Prof. K’tso Nghargbu, has cautioned that both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) risk alienating northern voters and jeopardizing their chances in the 2027 presidential election by sidelining the region in their zoning decisions.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Prof. Nghargbu, who leads a coalition of North Central stakeholders advocating for power shift to the zone, criticized the APC for adopting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its sole candidate, and the PDP for zoning its presidential ticket to the South.
He argued that such decisions, which exclude the North—particularly the North Central—could have far-reaching political consequences.
“Any party that refuses to give its presidential ticket to the North, particularly the North Central, should forget about our votes,” Nghargbu declared. “Our demand is rooted in fairness and justice. A zone denied leadership for decades deserves a chance.”
The scholar further emphasized that the North Central has never produced a civilian president despite its strategic role in Nigeria’s unity and growth. He added that if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or another major political party fields a northern candidate, that party could stand a real chance of clinching the presidency in 2027.
According to him, “If the ADC fields a candidate from the North and the region unites with bloc votes, the party stands a strong chance of winning.”
