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.
Diran Odeyemi, a member of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Anslem Eragbe, a chieftain of the Labour Party, have cautioned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from running in the 2027 presidential election.
Odeyemi and Eragbe asserted that the South should govern for a duration of eight years.
It was stated that the 2027 southern presidential candidate may not be President Bola Tinubu.
The argument that Atiku should not have run for president in 2023 was made by Eragbe in an interview with Punch.
He stated that it was the time for the South to produce a president, and that Atiku should have refrained from running.
Eragbe responded to the question of whether or not the former Vice President would violate any laws if he decided to compete for the highest office in the nation in 2027.
He said, the PDP veteran is entitled to his ambitions and dreams. However, he added that the years 2027 to 2031 are reserved for southern Nigeria.
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.
“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.
“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.”
Other statement made by Odeyemi was that the issue in the PDP was caused by the former vice president’s participation in the presidential election of 2023 and his apparent goals for the year 2027.
It was his charge to Atiku to bury his ambition, and he said that the conflict within the party would be resolved if the former vice president failed to declare interest in election in 2027.
He said, “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.”