Fresh cracks have hit the opposition camp as Atiku Abubakar rejected calls to zone the 2027 presidency to the South, while Rabiu Kwankwaso backed Peter Obi and offered to serve as running mate.
Atiku Rejects Southern Zoning
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday described demands that the opposition must zone its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria as self-defeating and dishonest.
Through his spokesperson, Olusola Sanni, Atiku warned opposition leaders not to make zoning the main issue ahead of the election.
However, he said competence, national unity, coalition building, and electoral strength should matter more than regional calculations.
He argued that while the APC may prefer zoning to help President Bola Tinubu retain power, the opposition should not copy that plan without studying political realities.
Can South Unseat Tinubu?
Furthermore, Atiku questioned how a Southern opposition candidate would defeat a sitting Southern president.
He said Nigerian political history offers no example of an incumbent president losing to an opposition challenger from the same geopolitical bloc.
“The first and most obvious question is this: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president?” he asked.
“To insist otherwise is to enter the contest already defeated.”
Meanwhile, Atiku said the moral case for zoning to the South weakens when past power-sharing records are examined.
He stated that by 2027, the South would have held presidential power for about 18 years in the Fourth Republic, while the North would have held it for about 10 years.
Consequently, he said another four years in the South would widen that gap further.
He also accused some politicians of hypocrisy for backing Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 after President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death, but now claiming zoning is sacred.
“Principles do not become sacred only when they align with personal ambition,” he said.
Kwankwaso Backs Southern Candidate
Meanwhile, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso took the opposite stand during an interview on PrimeTime, AriseTV.
Kwankwaso said leaders in the coalition had agreed to support a Southern presidential candidate in 2027 to preserve national balance and calm agitation over power rotation.
According to him, that makes former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi the likely flagbearer of the alliance.
“That is how it should be,” Kwankwaso said when asked if Obi had become the front-runner.
Ready To Serve Under Obi
In response, Kwankwaso also declared he would accept the vice-presidential slot if the coalition chose him.
“If the party decides that I should be the running mate of any candidate from the south under the circumstances, I will be happy to work together with him,” he said.
He added that Nigeria now needs quality leadership, not endless North-South arguments.
Kwankwaso Praises Obi
Furthermore, Kwankwaso described Obi as a trusted partner in the push to rebuild Nigeria.
“Personally, I cannot remember any better combination,” he said.
He dismissed fears of rivalry between both camps and said greed often causes political conflicts, not teamwork.
2027 Battle Line Drawn
Meanwhile, Kwankwaso said the 2027 election would be between suffering Nigerians and political leaders who failed them.
He said many citizens, especially youths, now care less about tribe or religion and more about jobs, security, infrastructure, and good governance.
The sharp difference between Atiku and Kwankwaso now exposes a major battle inside the opposition as parties position for 2027.
