2027: Forum urges parties to zone presidential tickets to South

An advocacy group, South-North Progressive Forum (SNPF), has urged all registered political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to zone their 2027 presidential tickets to the southern part of Nigeria.

The SNPF Chairman, Mr Festus Onyekwulisi made the call at a news conference during the launch of a nationwide campaign for 2027 southern president in Abuja.

The group also called on the National Assembly to enact law to formalise the rotation of elective positions in the country.

Onyekwulisi said that zoning the 2027 presidency to the south was necessary to correct a historical power imbalance and promote national unity.

He noted that since Independence, the North had occupied the presidential position of Nigeria cumulatively for 24 years, while the South spent 18 years.

The group said that allowing the South another four years term in 2027 was necessary to reinforce the principles of fairness, federal character, and national cohesion.

“As the 2027 election draws nearer, the SNPF is positioning itself as a potent, issue-based movement determined to ensure that the next election is fought on the tenets of equity and justice.

“This is not about mere politics, it is about national integration, equity, justice and fairness,’’ he said.

Onyekwulisi said that beyond advocacy, the SNPF had unveiled a grassroots mobilisation plan to gather a minimum of 10 million votes for the emergence of a southern presidential candidate in 2027.

He added that the forum was also running simultaneous sensitisation programmes to combat voter apathy and the menace of electoral malpractices ahead of the 2027 general election.

“There must be a conscious mobilisation to ensure that millions of citizens across southern states as well as the 19 northern states actively buy into this idea.

“We are quietly leading the building of a national consensus that would impact the voting pattern in 2027,” he said.

He warned politicians against using insecurity, hunger, religious and ethnic sentiments to secure votes in 2027, saying Nigerians will vote according to their conscience.

He said that the forum was also introducing a new political philosophy termed “Rightful Defection”, that would allow non-partisan members to freely support a southern candidate of their choice.