Ahead of the 2027 election, former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has expressed his support for a rotational presidency, suggesting that he would back a candidate, either from the southern or northern region, willing to serve a single four-year term.
In an interview on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, Okonkwo emphasized the importance of equity and fairness between the northern and southern regions, in line with the unwritten rule of rotational presidency.
He said, “Everybody should come together. It is something that can be discussed. Who is going to do four years is going to influence who I am going to support because I still believe in equity and justice.”
Okonkwo, who left the Labour Party in February 2025, also revealed that he is open to joining a coalition that is coalescing in the opposition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming election.
The conversation around the formation of a coalition has been gaining momentum recently, particularly after former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the APC to the Social Democratic Party.
El-Rufai has been seen engaging with opposition leaders, including former PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar. Okonkwo also met with Atiku, stating that Nigeria’s political future requires cooperation between opposition parties to oust the APC government.
Describing the current administration as incompetent, Okonkwo stated, “My game plan is simple. If the opposition is serious about wresting power from this incompetent government, they must all come together and act like one because that was what APC did in 2013 and that was what helped them to wrest power in 2015.” He also reaffirmed his openness to working with various opposition groups to consolidate their efforts.
The lawyer further characterized the 2027 election as particularly complicated, given the delicate balance between the north and south over the rotational presidency agreement. “2027 is one of the most complicated and complex times in the political history of Nigeria because we have this gentleman’s agreement – eight years in the South, eight years in the North,” Okonkwo said. He also discussed the challenges posed by an underperforming incumbent and the potential disagreements between the two regions about who should take the presidency next.
“If a Southern person, a fresh person wins, he will do only four years to complete the eight years. Then, it will go to the north, where it will spend eight years,” he explained. Okonkwo suggested that a free and fair primary election would allow any qualified candidate, whether from the north or south, to run. “Whoever would emerge would agree to do four years, whether from the South or the North,” he said.
He acknowledged the difficulty of navigating these political dynamics, especially considering the lack of trust in politicians and the ongoing debates about how to structure leadership transitions. Nevertheless, Okonkwo believes that, if done democratically, a four-year rotational system could offer a fair solution to the political challenges of the 2027 election.
