A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to abandon his 2027 presidential ambition, arguing that it runs contrary to Nigeria’s North-South power rotation principle.

Okechukwu maintained that the zoning arrangement has remained an important mechanism for promoting equity, fairness and national cohesion since the return to democratic rule in 1999.

He argued that Atiku’s continued interest in the presidency could undermine the consensus on power rotation and further deepen political divisions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The APC chieftain also contended that no amount of political mobilisation or international lobbying would override what he described as the prevailing national sentiment in support of maintaining the zoning convention.

The remarks add to the growing political debate over succession, zoning and party alignments as political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.