Lagos, Nigeria – Former Director-Normal of Peter Obi’s Presidential Marketing campaign Organisation, Dr Doyin Okupe, has known as for the South to retain Nigeria’s presidency in 2027, arguing that geopolitical steadiness ought to information the nation’s management rotation.
In an interview with the Information Company of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos, Okupe acknowledged that whereas former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is certified to contest, his candidacy would doubtless face related resistance as in 2023, when his bid was perceived as disrupting the North-South rotation settlement.
Geopolitical Issues
Okupe emphasised that the South ought to full its eight-year tenure following President Bola Tinubu’s time period, simply because the North did underneath President Muhammadu Buhari.
He mentioned, “Atiku failed in 2023, not as a result of he was not particular person, however as a result of folks felt {that a} northern Muslim can not succeed one other northern Muslim after eight years.
“If Atiku nonetheless contests in 2027, he has a proper. He’s eminently certified and among the best we’ve, however geopolitics is a matter.
“The conditionality nonetheless persists. A Southerner would have simply accomplished 4 years and wishes one other four-year time period. It’s not within the structure, however we agree that when a Northerner does his eight years, a Southerner will do.
“So, the North can not now terminate the tenure of the South in 2027. It’s not going to work.”
Prospects for Peter Obi
On the potential for Peter Obi contesting once more, Okupe acknowledged Obi’s dynamism and ambition however argued that defeating Tinubu in 2027 can be a difficult job.
“Obi is a younger man, very dynamic and bold, however geopolitics is vital in a rustic that has not achieved horizontal and vertical unity.
“The one that is occupying the place proper now, Tinubu, can also be a Southerner who’s doing properly. I want Obi luck, however it’s going to be an uphill job,” he mentioned.
Doubts on Opposition Alliances
Okupe expressed scepticism in regards to the capacity of opposition events and leaders, together with Atiku, Obi, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, to kind a profitable alliance towards Tinubu in 2027.
He argued that Nigeria’s political panorama lacks the maturity and willingness to make mandatory concessions for collective curiosity.
“I’ve been on this recreation for over 40 years. Alliances in Nigeria usually fail as a result of individuals are usually not able to make concessions.
“I want these making an attempt to kind an alliance luck, however it would find yourself the identical means it has all the time ended—futile.”
Okupe contrasted this with the alliance that introduced former President Muhammadu Buhari to energy in 2015, highlighting Tinubu’s decisive concessions as key to its success.
“The person who spearheaded that alliance [Tinubu] grew past naivety and selfishness. He conceded every part to make it work. That sort of maturity doesn’t at present exist amongst opposition leaders,” he concluded.
Implications
Okupe’s feedback underscore the enduring significance of geopolitical concerns in Nigeria’s politics, in addition to the challenges going through opposition events in forming cohesive alliances to problem incumbents.
