Real reason Atiku can’t be president in 2027 – Okupe

Dr. Doyin Okupe, a former spokesperson and ex-Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, has stated that the presidency in 2027 should be zoned to the South, rather than the North.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, Okupe emphasized the importance of fairness, asserting that the South should be given the opportunity to complete its eight-year term in the presidency before power shifts again.

Okupe acknowledged the credentials of Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but argued that geopolitical considerations make his candidacy problematic.

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“Atiku failed in 2023, not because he was not a good person, but because people felt that a northern Muslim cannot succeed another northern Muslim after eight years,” Okupe said.

He continued, “If Atiku still contests in 2027, he has a right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have, but geopolitics is an issue. The conditionality still persists: a southerner would have just completed four years and needs another four-year term.

“It’s not in the constitution, but we agree that when a northerner does his eight years, a southerner will do. So, the north cannot now terminate the tenure of the south in 2027. It is not going to work.”

Okupe also suggested that Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, could contest in 2027, given his southern roots. However, he noted the challenge Obi might face in unseating President Bola Tinubu, who he described as performing well.

“Obi can contest. Obi is a young man, very dynamic and very ambitious; but geopolitics is important in a country that has not achieved horizontal and vertical unity,” he remarked.

“The person who is occupying the place right now, Tinubu, is also a southerner, who is doing well. We can see what this gentleman (Tinubu) is doing. I wish Obi luck, but it is going to be an uphill task,” Okupe added.

Addressing the possibility of political alliances to challenge Tinubu in 2027, Okupe expressed skepticism. He stated that alliances often fail due to participants’ unwillingness to make necessary concessions.

“I have been in this game for 40 years and above. I came into politics in 1978. I have been in several talks, discussions, and I have represented my party in several alliances,” Okupe said.

“We have not attained that maturity to get to the level of being rational and reasonable and ready to give the necessary concession for a group interest. Even if you look at our private businesses, 90 per cent of business partnerships will crumble within the first three years.”

While reflecting on the alliance that brought former President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015, Okupe credited Tinubu’s selflessness and strategic concessions for its success.

“The man who spearheaded that alliance has grown beyond this constitution of naivety and selfishness. Everything, he conceded so that the thing could work,” he said.

On Tinubu’s leadership, Okupe described him as purposeful and clear-minded about Nigeria’s development.

“It took Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore 31 years to transform Singapore into a first-world country. It is either we want this country to move forward or we keep playing politics and destroying the lives of our children,” Okupe concluded.