By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A member of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Diran Odeyemi, and a chieftain of the Labour Party, Anslem Eragbe, have advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to kill his 2027 presidential election ambition.

Both Odeyemi and Eragbe said the South should be allowed to rule for eight years.

They said the 2027 southern president might not necessarily be President Bola Tinubu.

Eragbe, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, argued that Atiku should not have contested the 2023 presidential election because it was the turn of the South to produce a president.

He said, “Atiku was not supposed to contest the 2023 presidential election because it was the turn of southern Nigeria. It is the turn of the South till 2031.

“Being a former Vice President of Nigeria for eight years; Atiku knows Nigeria’s power drill and equation. He should support younger Nigerians to power and provide guidance in 2027.”

Asked if the former Vice President would breach any law if he chooses to run for the nation’s highest office in 2027, Eragbe said the PDP stalwart “is entitled to his ambition and aspirations, adding however that “2027 – 2031 is for southern Nigeria.”

According to him, the 2027 presidency shall remain in southern Nigeria and should be zoned to the South-South region.

“It should be further micro-zoned to the (defunct) mid-Western region. I mean the defunct Bendel, now Edo and Delta states. We expect the major political parties to do this for equity, justice, fairness and parity.

“However, should President Bola Tinubu, win the 2027 presidential election and continue till 2031, power shall return to Northern Nigeria,” he added.

The former President of the Student Union Government of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, added that when compared with other geo-political zones in the country, the South-South had spent the least number of years on the presidential seat.

“The region that has ruled the least in Nigeria is the South-South with only five years under Goodluck Jonathan and should rule Nigeria again beginning from 2027.

“When put together, the North-Central spent a total of 17 years and 11 months, North-West, 17 years, three months; North-East, 10 years, three months; South-West, 15 years, four months by the time Tinubu finishes his term in May 2027; South East spent five years and nine months and the South-South, the only region to spend five years only on the presidential seat,” he added.

Eragbe called on the political parties to identify credible politicians, regardless of their financial status, to fly their flags for the various elective offices, stressing that 2027 would be another opportunity to right the wrongs of the past.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Odeyemi stated that the ex-vice president’s participation in the 2023 presidential election and his perceived ambitions for 2027 were the causes of PDP crisis.

He charged Atiku to bury his ambition, adding that once the former vice president failed to declare interest in 2027, the crisis in the party would be over.

The 2023 election was originally supposed to be between southerners, as former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, had just completed eight years in office. However, Atiku insisted on exercising his rights, which is why there is a crisis in the PDP,” he stated.