2027: Shehu Sani Says Presidency Should Remain in South Until 2031

Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has said the 2027 presidential election should be contested by President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi and other candidates from the southern part of Nigeria.

Sani made the position known in a post on X on Thursday while weighing in on the debate over the rotation of political power between the North and South ahead of the 2027 general election.

He specifically argued that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other northern presidential aspirants should allow the South to complete what he described as its eight-year tenure before seeking the presidency.

“The 2027 political contest should be between Tinubu, Peter Obi, Sowore, Makinde, Adebayo, Duke and other Southern Candidates. The South should complete its eight years,” Sani wrote.

The former Kaduna Central senator listed Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Seyi Makinde, Adewole Adebayo and Donald Duke among the southern politicians he believes should participate in the 2027 presidential contest.

Sani acknowledged that power rotation between the North and South is not provided for in the Nigerian Constitution but argued that the arrangement was equitable given the country’s political history and realities.

“It’s not constitutional but it’s equitable. We should not bury our heads in the sand and deny the realities and complexities of our history,” he said.

According to him, allowing the South to complete eight years in power would pave the way for the North to have what he described as an “unchallengeable right” to seek the presidency in 2031.

He also warned that politicians who reject the principle of power rotation in 2027 should not expect the arrangement to be respected when the presidency is due to return to the North.

“Those who say there shouldn’t be respect for the principle of Rotation of power in 2027, should know that it WILL NOT be respected in 2031,” Sani added.

The former lawmaker’s position comes amid ongoing political debate over Atiku’s decision to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, ADC. Atiku has maintained that there is no constitutional provision preventing any eligible Nigerian from contesting the presidency regardless of regional considerations.

The debate over zoning and rotation is expected to remain a significant issue as political parties and presidential contenders intensify their campaigns and mobilisation ahead of the 2027 election.