A former spokesman and former Director-General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr Doyin Okupe, says the south ,and not the north,should produce the president in 2027.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos , Okupe said it was only fair to allow the south to produce the next president.
Okupe said though Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in 2023 ,was eminently qualified to contest in 2027, he did not think it was right for the PDP chieftain to be president.
The ex-Presidential spokesman said the problem with the idea of Atiku presidency in 2027 is geopolitics ,not age,adding the south should be allowed to complete its eight-year term just as the north did before the coming of President Bola Tinubu.
“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.
“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 said.
