1 week Ago By Saawua Terzungwe
By Saawua Terzungwe There is growing agitation for power to shift to the North-Central geo-political zone ahead of the 2027 general elections. The agitators are pushing for a national consensus for the region to produce the next president. They argue that the North-Central has never produced a democratically elected president or vice president in the country’s history.
Daily Trust reports that of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones — North West, North East, North Central, South East, South-West, and South South — only the North Central and South East have never produced a democratically elected president. However, political actors leading the agitation — notably Professor Nghargbu K’tso, a medical geologist and convener of the North Central Renaissance Movement (NCRM) — are not relenting in their campaign to break the jinx. They argue that the North Central’s situation is more dire, pointing out that while the South East produced Dr Alex Ekwueme as vice president in a democratic setting, the North Central has never had either a president or a vice president.
Findings by Daily Trust indicate that prominent politicians from the region, unhappy with its continued marginalisation, are backing the movement and warming up for the 2027 presidential race. About two weeks ago, the NCRM held its maiden press conference in Abuja, where it decried what it described as the political sidelining of the zone. The group is urging all political parties to zone their 2027 presidential and vice-presidential tickets to the North Central.
Specifically, for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which currently has President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (South West) and Vice President Kashim Shettima (North East) in office, the movement is asking that if Tinubu is offered the right of first refusal for a second term, the vice-presidential slot should be given to the North Central. Daily Trust reports that the movement, which is solely focused on canvassing power shift, has begun consultations with political stakeholders across the country to gain support for its agenda. On April 3, former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen.
Aliyu Gusau (rtd), hosted the group. The following day, they were received by the Ona of Abaji, His Royal Highness Alhaji Musa Baba Yunusa. They also met with Senator John Danboyi, during which they expressed their concerns over the political exclusion of the North Central and urged him to support their cause.
Leaders of the movement have also initiated plans to engage with former presidents, former heads of state, ex-governors, serving governors and lawmakers to intensify their campaign. However, a critical question among political observers is whether the agitation can yield results strong enough to unseat Tinubu and Shettima from Aso Rock in 2027. Another pressing issue is whether those championing the agitation have the political influence, pedigree and financial muscle to alter the 2027 political equation.
This comes amid confidence within the APC that Tinubu’s re-election is a done deal. Senate President Godswill Akpabio recently suggested as much during an Iftar dinner in Abuja. The APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, also hosted various support groups at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, where he declared that Tinubu would contest for a second term.
Ganduje urged northern politicians with presidential ambitions to wait until 2031 when Tinubu would have completed two terms. Presidents and regional spread Daily Trust revisits Nigeria’s leadership history to assess the merits of the North Central agitation by outlining the geo-political origins of past presidents and vice presidents. Following independence in 1960, the North East produced Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as prime minister.
Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe from the South East became Nigeria’s first president in 1963, after the country became a republic under the 1963 Constitution. In 1979, Alhaji Shehu Shagari from the North West became president. The South West briefly held the presidency in 1993 with Chief Ernest Shonekan as interim head of state.
In 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo from the South West was elected president. The North West produced Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as president in 2007 following Obasanjo’s eight-year tenure. After Yar’Adua’s death in 2010, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from the South South, who had been vice president, became president and won the 2011 election.
In 2015, Jonathan was defeated by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), also from the North-West. Buhari was re-elected in 2019 and was succeeded by President Tinubu (South West) in 2023.
Vice presidential positions The vice presidency however saw a broader geographical spread. In 1979, Dr Alex Ekwueme from the South East became vice president. In 1999, the North East produced Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as vice president during Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.
When Obasanjo’s term ended in 2007, Goodluck Jonathan became vice president on a joint ticket with President Yar’Adua. Following Yar’Adua’s death in 2010, Alhaji Namadi Sambo from the North West was appointed vice president as Jonathan took over the presidency. In 2015, the South West produced Prof.
Yemi Osinbajo as vice president. He was re-elected in 2019 alongside Buhari and served until 2023. Currently, Senator Kashim Shettima from the North East is vice president under the Tinubu administration, which is in its first term.
‘A hard nut to crack’ Commenting on the situation, some political analysts and party leaders believe the North Central’s agitation for the presidency in 2027 may not succeed. Political analyst, Aminu Yakudima, expressed scepticism, citing the likely resistance from the North West, North East, and South West. He said it would be very difficult to convince political heavyweights in those regions to abandon their ambitions in favour of the North Central.
“Their agitations are in the right direction, but it shouldn’t be about power sharing. Yes, inclusivity is very fundamental in a democracy, but not at the detriment of development,” he said. “It won’t be possible for the North Central to sideline the North West and the North East in the 2027 election because it is undemocratic.
You cannot try to deter other zones from contesting. Democracy is an open contest. It is a way of life.
It is about the majority, it’s about performance, it’s about capacity. “So it is not right when people are not allowed the opportunity to participate. When you see people who have been tested and trusted and you want to deny them the opportunity, it is not right.
“We should be thinking beyond regions. We should be thinking beyond geo-political divisions and differences. We have to be thinking about development, merit, performance, education; who can do the job, who has the credentials.
These are some of the things that we should be thinking about. “In 2027, we should be careful in our selection so that we don’t bring people who are tilted towards sentiments and not the serious matters that have to do with governance,” he added. Chief Sam Nkire, a member of the APC National Caucus, also told Daily Trust that the agitation is a distraction and unrealistic in the current political climate.
Chief Nkire, a former national chairman of the defunct Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) said, “The agitation shouldn’t have come up now. Once a party is in power with a president, he is given the right of first refusal. “And I don’t think APC is in a hurry to change its captain.
Tinubu will get APC ticket for the 2027 election. APC is not contemplating changing Tinubu as candidate.” Another political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, also argued that the North West and North East would oppose any move to hand the presidency to the North Central in 2027.
He pointed to the divisions that may arise due to differences in political affiliations and competition over presidential and vice-presidential tickets. “This move is dead on arrival. It’s not yet time as far as the North West and North East are concerned about northern politics,” he said.
In an interview with Daily Trust, APC’s National Director of Publicity, Alhaji Bala Ibrahim, dismissed the idea of dislodging President Tinubu in 2027. Unlock AI's potential! Get top prompts for content, blogs, social media, research, draft proposals and more. Boost creativity start using AI tools today! Click here to learn how it works.
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