A prominent member of the opposition coalition and former spokesperson for Peter Obi, Kenneth Okonkwo, has urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its allied parties to field a northern presidential candidate in the 2027 general election if they hope to unseat President Bola Tinubu. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, Okonkwo warned that presenting another southern candidate like Obi would hand Tinubu an easy victory, stressing the need for strategic planning in the power tussle ahead.
According to Okonkwo, only a northern political heavyweight — such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, or ex-Sokoto governor Aminu Tambuwal — could rally sufficient northern support to effectively challenge Tinubu. “My strategy this time around is that I am going to support a northerner in 2027,” Okonkwo declared. He argued that experience and regional backing would be crucial to dislodging an incumbent president, especially one backed by the political establishment.
Interestingly, Okonkwo, a lawyer and actor, was a vocal supporter of Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential race but parted ways with the Labour Party in July 2024 over unresolved internal crises and Obi’s alleged inaction. He insists that a repeat candidacy by Obi or any other southern contender would result in another electoral loss. “Anybody telling you to bring a fresh southerner to compete against Tinubu… is trying to zone the ticket to Tinubu and Tinubu will win outright,” he warned.
President Tinubu, who took office in May 2023 after defeating Atiku and Obi, is seeking re-election in 2027 in line with Nigeria’s informal north-south power rotation. Okonkwo described Tinubu’s administration as “incurably bad” and stated that the opposition must do everything legally possible to end his tenure. He noted that in Nigeria’s political landscape, an incumbent without establishment support often loses out, regardless of actual votes, citing the 2023 election as an example.
As momentum builds toward the next election cycle, the opposition coalition on July 2, 2025, officially adopted the ADC as its platform, following high-level meetings involving Atiku, Obi, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Rotimi Amaechi, and El-Rufai. The alliance is banking on the over 12 million combined votes recorded by Atiku and Obi in 2023 — a figure that exceeded Tinubu’s declared tally — to mount a stronger challenge in 2027 amid widespread economic discontent under the current administration.
