By Ayodele Oni
Former Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has insisted that the South should retain the presidency for another term, just as he urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to shelve any ambition to produce a northern presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), was of the view that Nigeria’s informal power rotation arrangement between the North and South must be respected in the interest of fairness, national unity and political stability.
He made the position known during an interactive session with journalists at his residence in Kano, where he expressed concern over developments within the ADC that could pave the way for another northern presidential candidate.
Although zoning is not expressly provided for in the Nigerian Constitution, Kwankwaso maintained that the principle remains an important political understanding that should guide the country’s leadership transition.
He warned that presenting another northern candidate in 2027, while the South is yet to complete its turn, could undermine the established power-sharing understanding and generate avoidable political tension.
The former governor specifically appealed to Atiku, who has made previous attempts to secure the presidency under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to abandon his ambition and support Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s former presidential candidate.
According to Kwankwaso, the South deserves the opportunity to complete its tenure before power rotates back to the North.
“What is happening in the ADC will not help us. Some people want to create confusion by bringing a candidate from the North, knowing fully well that it is still the turn of the South. After Obi presidency, it will return to the North.”
The NDC chieftain also disclosed that he has sacrificed his personal presidential ambition in support of Obi, whom he described as a credible southern candidate with whom he shares common political objectives and ideology.
“I sacrificed my ambition for Peter Obi because he is credible and from the South. We share common goals and ideology. We are strong and can manage the affairs of this country with ease.”
He recalled that he has made three attempts to become Nigeria’s president, but chose to step aside in what he described as a commitment to political fairness and the South’s claim to the presidency.
Kwankwaso further argued that an Obi presidency would preserve the country’s delicate political balance and reinforce the informal understanding of rotational leadership between the North and South.
He maintained that once the South completes its turn under Obi, the presidency could return to the North, urging political leaders to place national interest above personal ambition as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027.
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