APC Chieftain Labels Atiku's 2027 Presidential Ambition a 'Mirage' Over Zoning
A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has emphatically declared that the 2027 presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is a "mirage" in the context of Nigeria's deeply entrenched North-South zoning arrangement. Okechukwu made this assertion while responding to recent reports that Atiku had engaged a Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., in a $1.2 million deal aimed at enhancing his international image ahead of the next general elections.
Zoning as a Core Political Handicap
According to Okechukwu, while such global outreach efforts may improve Atiku's perception abroad, they fail to address what he described as the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate's "core political handicap" at home. This handicap, he argued, stems from Atiku's perceived disregard for the zoning convention, which has become a fundamental aspect of Nigeria's power-sharing formula. "Zoning remains the minimum in Nigeria's power-sharing formula," Okechukwu stated, adding, "No amount of foreign image laundering can override a deeply rooted domestic consensus built on equity, fairness, and national cohesion."
Historical Context and National Unity
Okechukwu elaborated that since Nigeria's return to democratic rule in 1999, the nation has largely embraced the informal yet powerful convention of rotating the presidency between the North and the South. This practice is widely seen as a mechanism to promote unity, inclusion, and stability across the country's diverse regions. He stressed that Atiku's repeated presidential pursuits, particularly in the 2023 elections, were significantly undermined by the prevailing sentiment that power should shift to the South after eight years of northern leadership under President Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC chieftain's comments highlight the ongoing political tensions surrounding zoning and its impact on electoral strategies. As Nigeria approaches the 2027 polls, debates over regional equity and candidate eligibility are expected to intensify, with figures like Atiku facing scrutiny over their alignment with these unwritten rules. Okechukwu's remarks underscore the challenges that aspirants may encounter when their ambitions clash with established national conventions aimed at fostering cohesion.
