Politics
Obi Fmr Spokesperson Says Asiwaju Will Retain Power In 2027
Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for Peter Obi and now a member of the opposition coalition, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will retain power in 2027.
He said this will happen only if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presents a southern candidate like Obi as its presidential flag bearer.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday, the actor-turned-lawyer argued that to unseat Tinubu, the opposition must rally behind a strong northern contender with national appeal.
“My strategy this time around is that I am going to support a northerner in 2027,” Okonkwo said.
“It must be a northerner that the whole north is willing to support. “If the whole north is willing to support an Atiku, why not?
“If the whole north is willing to support a Tambuwal, why not? The person must be qualified, and if he has experience in the presidency, it is an added advantage when he puts up something from the south, that will push him through,” he added.
Okonkwo, who served as one of the lead spokesmen for Obi during the 2023 presidential election, severed ties with the Labour Party in July 2024, citing internal crises and Obi’s failure to resolve them.
President Tinubu, who defeated Obi and Atiku in the 2023 general election, assumed office in May 2023 and is expected to seek re-election in 2027.
His presidency followed an eight-year tenure by Muhammadu Buhari, a northern leader from the North-West, continuing Nigeria’s informal practice of rotating power between the northern and southern regions.
While Tinubu, a southerner from Lagos State, eyes a second term, Okonkwo believes the opposition must be strategic to stand a chance.
