A top All Progressives Congress (APC) figure in Enugu State, Chief Osita Okechukwu, has called on Nigerians—especially Northern politicians to let President Bola Tinubu serve out his second term without interference.
The former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) made the appeal during the launch of APC’s e-registration drive at Eke Ward in Udi Local Government Area on Saturday.
Okechukwu pointed out that former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would likely emerge as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, urging him to respect the zoning and rotational formula that governs Nigeria’s presidency.
After completing his registration, Okechukwu threw his weight behind Tinubu, insisting that Abubakar should allow the president to finish his tenure before power swings back to the North.
“By the time Tinubu finishes in 2031, any southerner who is coming for president, we will not allow the person because it will be the turn of the North,” he said.
The APC stalwart accused Abubakar of lacking the interest and unity of Nigeria if he decided to contest against the South’s turn.
Okechukwu recalled that Abubakar himself had benefited from the zoning arrangement in 1999 when he became Vice President under President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“If not for good faith, restraint and self-censorship, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Umaru Shinkafi, Adamu Ciroma, and Bukola Saraki were all qualified by any standard but conceded power to the south. This was how Abubakar became vice president under Obasanjo,” he said.
He traced the concept of rotation back to Switzerland in 1848, describing it as a practice rooted in good faith, fairness, and the prioritization of national unity.
“Other countries practiced it in one variant or the other but for us, after the military coup and the long reign of the military regime in Nigeria, some Nigerian patriots came together. Their conclusion was that the only place to shift power was the South and also to please Abiola and his followers, was to do a rotation convention whereby it will be the turn of the South after which, the North takes over. And that was exactly what happened because from 1999 to 2007, the South finished and handed over to a northerner,” he explained.
Okechukwu also recalled that Abubakar’s breach of zoning in 2003 plunged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into crisis, a misstep that ultimately fractured the party.
He lamented that under ADC, Abubakar had again opened the door to undermining the rotational arrangement, saying:
“So to sustain economic reforms of Tinubu, Nigeria’s democracy and peace of the country, the south under Tinubu should be allowed to complete their eight years in power.”
Praising Tinubu’s economic reforms, Okechukwu said the economy was rebounding, expressing hope that the gains would multiply if the president secured a second term.
Also speaking, APC ward member Mrs. Kate Offor hailed the e-registration as proof of transparency, stressing that it ensures the 2027 election will be “fair, free and credible.” She added that registering party members would prevent manipulation of figures and predicted a landslide victory for Tinubu.
Mr. Chibuzor Onyeama, APC’s e-registration agent in Eke Ward, confirmed that the exercise had kicked off smoothly, promising to sign up more members.
“The registration requirements are your National Identification Number (NIN), voter’s number, and your phone number. Our only challenge was little network hitches,” he said.
