Politics

When talk isn’t cheap: Atiku in fresh trouble over anti-Yoruba, Igbo comment

Published

4 years ago

October 17, 2022

admin

There is more trouble for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, following his call to Northerners that they should vote for him in the 2023 election because he hails from the northern region.

Atiku, while speaking this during an interactive session with the Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna on Saturday, urged the people not to support a Yoruba or Igbo candidate in reference to the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi.

The PDP flag bearer, a Fulani from Adamawa State, declared that “what the average Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the North and also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country.

“This is what the Northerner needs. It doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate. I stand before you as a pan-Nigerian of northern origin,’’ the ex-vice-president stated in a viral video.

However, his comment has attracted widespread condemnation from the APC, the LP, the New Nigeria People’s Party, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, the apex Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and civil society organisations.

This is happening against the backdrop of the crisis in the PDP which has resulted in the withdrawal of five governors and many members of the Southern bloc of the party from Atiku’s campaign council.

There are suggestions that the former Vice-President, through his statement on Saturday, might have breached Section 97 of the Electoral Act.

The section states, “A candidate, person or association that engages in campaigning or broadcasting based on religious, tribal or sectional reason to promote or oppose a particular political party or the election of a particular candidate, commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to (a) a maximum fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both and (b) in the case of a political party, to a maximum of N10m.’’

Those who criticized Atiku on Sunday said despite presenting himself as a pan-Nigerian candidate, the former vice-president’s previous actions had aroused suspicions about his stance on critical national issues.

Atiku stirred a firestorm in May after he deleted a post on his Facebook and Twitter pages condemning the killing of Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, who was killed for allegedly posting comments that blasphemed Prophet Mohammed.

After coming under a barrage of threats from northerners who asked him to forget his presidential ambition for criticising Samuel’s murder, Atiku hurriedly deleted the post, claiming it was done without his approval.

‘Atiku, a hypocrite’
Reacting, the ruling APC said Atiku’s statement inciting northern electorates to shun Igbo and Yoruba candidates was unbecoming of an elder statesman.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, in a statement on Sunday described Atiku’s utterance as an attack on the country’s long-preserved national unity.

He attributed the statement to the PDP candidate’s desperation to rule the country.

Scolding Atiku who is running for the President for the sixth time, the APC stated, “It is beyond the pale for a senior citizen and a former Vice-President of the Federal Republic to so brazenly instigate strife and disunity in our country in pursuit of his befuddled political self-interest.

“But it is not surprising coming from a desperate and serial failed candidate for the office of President. If, as Atiku believes the average Northerner needs a Northern President now, after a Northern President, when will they ever not need a Northern President?

“What does Atiku think the average Southerner needs? Why is it about what the average Northerner needs, or even what the average Southerner may need? Why is it not about what Nigeria and Nigerians need? Nigerians need bold and visionary leadership anchored on a firm commitment to transcendental national unity, over and above ethnic or sectional obsessions.

“Atiku’s words ring loud of extreme and mindless desperation and such an extremely desperate man cannot and must not be entrusted with the most important job of President – a job whose core duty is that of leading, uniting and working in the best interest of all in an ethnoreligious, pluralistic society as Nigeria. Our country does not need this kind of highly inflammable rhetoric now or ever.’’

The party further expressed surprise that Atiku who claimed to be on a mission to unify the country could engage in acts that undermined national unity.

‘’The cat has finally been let out of the bag of him that pays lip service to unity while working hard to undermine our national unity. Our Northern citizens and patriots know far better than what Atiku thinks, and will not walk down that slippery slope with him,’’ Morka noted.

Touting the credential of its presidential candidate, Tinubu, and contrasting it with Atiku’s statement, the ruling party noted, ‘’As governor of Lagos State, his executive cabinet was a rare and admirable reflection of ethnic and religious diversity.

‘’We are confident he will enthrone equity, fairness, inclusion, and unity as operating national policy when elected as President in next year’s general election, as we urge Nigerians to do. ’’

Berating the PDP candidate, the APC Presidential Campaign Council stated that his incitement of Northerners to snub Yoruba and Igbo candidates has exposed his true intention to Nigerians.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Media and Publicity of the Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga.

Onanuga described Atiku’s speech as ‘’the worst expression of ethnocentric opportunism ever uttered by a former Nigerian Vice-President.’’

He said the PDP flag bearer’s speech clearly demonstrated ‘’how low a man honoured with the second highest office of the Nigerian Constitution is willing to sink in search of a perennial wild goose chase after the highest office in the land.’’

The statement added, “It confirms the argument that Atiku has feasted on such base, cheap, primordial sentiments to use the masses and the elite of the North as the ladder to ascend to power since 1989 without any dividends to show.

“In clear terms, Atiku who stole the PDP ticket with a similar mindset has cast himself as a northern candidate, who the people from his region should solely support.

“We view Atiku’s public declaration which framed him as an ethnic and regional champion as unbecoming for a man who was once a former Vice-President of Nigeria. But we are not surprised by his desperate position. Atiku has resorted to whipping up ethnic sentiments, knowing that his chances of being elected have become a mirage.

“He has himself, not anybody else, to blame for his expected electoral misfortune. First, he broke the fundamental rules of power rotation in his party and the country.’’

Onanuga further dismissed Atiku’s claims as a detribalized Nigeria as pure hogwash, adding, ‘’the Nigerian public now knows better that a man who has been campaigning as a so-called unifier of our disparate groups, is a tribal jingoist, who has now totally eviscerated all pretensions to being a detribalised Nigerian.

“Atiku only pays lip service to national unity, despite that it features as one of the five cardinal points of his so-called ‘Covenant with Nigerians.’ The facade is over, he is now fully naked before the Nigerian people.”

LP demands apology
The Chief Spokesman of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, called on Atiku to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians over his ethnocentric sentiments.

Tanko stated that it is wrong for anybody whether in a position of authority or not to use the ethnic card as a yardstick or campaign tool in Nigeria at the moment.

He said, “What we observed is that it is unfair for somebody who had been in the saddle of leadership of this country to play the ethnic card as a way of generating support.

“Our principal has made it clear long before now that even when people are trying to play ethnic agenda, nobody should look at him as an Igbo candidate. Our movement is a Nigerian project for the Nigerian people.

“So, in the interest of our democracy and unity of this country, which of course we represent, I think the former vice-president should apologise to Nigerians in such a way that it would show him as a true leader of a free country.

“Our principal has made it clear too that if there are issues that have to do with his co-candidate, he would be able to answer them personally. I know he actually prefers to speak on issues like this personally.”

The media aide to the LP Presidential candidate, Emeka Obasi, told The PUNCH that he was shocked to see an elder statesman playing such an ethnic card.

He said, “I saw the video of Atiku’s ethnic sentiment but I didn’t want to believe he said those things. So, I waited in vain hoping he will deny saying them before I comment.”

Commenting on the development, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Ogala observed that Atiku’s statement was divisive.

Ogala said, “The North has never seen itself as the only region entitled to the office of the President. The northern electorate are above primitive and primordial sentiments.’’

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere similarly flayed the PDP candidate, saying it was disappointed in him.

The spokesman for Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, in a telephone interview castigated Atiku for resorting to an ethnicity campaign, noting that he should be preaching unity instead of seeking to divide the country.

Speaking in the same vein, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in a statement on Sunday by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said by Atiku’s utterances, he had finished whatever was left of the PDP.

“We find it very weird and disappointing that an elder statesman and a presidential candidate could mount the podium at a public function and play such an ethnic card.

“We are worried that at such a time Nigeria is seeking a unifier, Atiku is further pushing the country into disintegration. He has shown that he cannot lead and unite this country.

‘Atiku destroyed PDP’
“His ambition has already destroyed the PDP and pushed it from number one to third if not fourth force. Now, he wants to bring the same division into the affairs of the country. We ask Nigerians to say no by rejecting him stoutly at the polls,” Ohanaeze said.

The apex Igbo group added that the five PDP governors led by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike had been proved to be the true lovers of the country.

It said, “We can see that the party has even suspended the presidential campaign after the flag-off in Uyo recently. All is not well with the team PDP.

“Nobody can trust a man who said he is a stepping stone for the actualisation of the South-East presidency in the future but within 48 hours, he offered the same presidency to Wike. It’s absurd to see how the PDP’s presidential team now hawks counterfeit promises.”

A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Prof. Kingsley Moghalu also disagreed with Atiku’s position.

Venting his dismay on his verified Twitter page, the ex-presidential aspirant said: “I was very disappointed to view the video clip of H.E. Atiku Abubakar @atiku, a former Vice-President of Nigeria telling an audience in Kaduna that what the North needs is a northerner to be President and not a Yoruba or Igbo candidate.’’

The Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, Idayat Hassan, said it was worrying that candidates had lost focus on discussing the issues, and had allowed ethnicity and religion to take oversight during their campaigns.

She added that the statement of the PDP Presidential candidate did not bode well for the country, considering that it could tip the votes along ethnic lines.

The NNPP equally knocked Atiku over his inciting statement. A former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is the presidential candidate of the NNPP.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr Agbo Major, observed that Atiku’s utterance would afford Nigerians the opportunity to tell who the real ethnic jingoists are.

He said, “My reaction is as good as the outrage of the average Nigerian. Our unity is so fragile and somebody who wants to be president shouldn’t be seen making such divisive statements. It is left for Nigerians to judge.”

But defending the ex-vice-president, his media adviser, Paul Ibe, accused the APC of attempting to turn facts on its head regarding Atiku’s engagement at the Arewa House in Kaduna.

He stated, “For the benefit of the innocent public who might be hoodwinked by the usual behaviour of APC in telling a big lie, what transpired was a direct question to Atiku to address the Northern audience on why he should be voted for by the Northern electorate.

“In answering this question, Atiku started with a joke by addressing the questioner as ‘Mr. Northerner’ which is a veiled criticism of why he limited his question to the Northern audience in the first place.’’

He described the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as someone whose ambition to aspire to become the Nigerian leader as a rude attack on the integrity of every Black country and certainly an act of disgrace to all Nigerians.

Atiku said that it was offensive for the APC presidential candidate who could not declare his elementary education records would ask to be elected a president of the most populous Black nation in the world.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Universal Global Resolve for Peace, Shalom Olaseni, noted that the elections had become tribalistic and that Atiku was playing to the sentiments of the North, adding that the PDP candidate must address the issue.

Politics

What supreme court judgement means for David Mark, ADC

Published

1 month ago

May 2, 2026

admin

By Bolanle Olabimtan

The supreme court judgement on the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has generated mixed interpretations and confusion about who is in charge of the party.

However, rather than settle the dispute, the apex court’s decision focused on a procedural misstep and sent the case back to where it began.

To understand the case in its entirety and what the supreme court judgement means, it is important to start from the beginning.

FEDERAL HIGH COURT

On September 2, 2025, Nafiu Bala, former vice chairman of the ADC, approached a federal high court in Abuja (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025), seeking to stop David Mark, former senate president, and his faction from parading themselves as leaders of the party.

Bala listed the ADC, Mark, Rauf Aregbesola (national secretary), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ralph Nwosu, the party’s founder and former national chairman, as defendants.

He also sought an order to restrain INEC from recognising them and to compel recognition of himself as acting national chairman.

He further filed motions seeking to stop the party from holding meetings, congresses, or conventions pending the determination of the suit.

The motion ex parte was heard on September 4, 2025, and Emeka Nwite, the trial judge, directed that the respondents, including INEC, be put on notice to show cause why the motion ex parte should not be granted.

This means the motion ex parte was neither granted nor refused.

COURT OF APPEAL

Dissatisfied with the interim ruling, Mark filed an appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the federal high court to continue to hear Bala’s suit.

However, on March 12, 2026, the court of appeal dismissed Mark’s case in its entirety, holding that it was incompetent and unmeritorious.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Uchechukwu Onyemenam, found that there was no substantive ruling by the federal high court on the ex parte application, as the trial judge merely ordered that parties be put on notice.

As such, there was no valid decision upon which an appeal could properly be anchored.

The court further faulted Mark for relying on an enrolled order rather than the actual proceedings and ruling of the trial court, noting that only the judge’s pronouncement constitutes the authentic record of the court.

The court also held that the appeal arose from an interlocutory ruling, for which Mark failed to obtain the required leave before approaching the appellate court.

On the issue of jurisdiction, the court of appeal noted that the question was still pending before the federal high court and could not be determined at the appellate level at that stage, describing the appeal as premature.

Having dismissed the appeal, the court issued preservatory orders to safeguard the subject matter of the dispute.

The court directed the parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum and to refrain from any action that could undermine the proceedings before the trial court.

On April 1, INEC announced that it would no longer recognise the factions of the ADC led by Mark or Bala, following its review of the court of appeal judgement.

SUPREME COURT

On further appeal to the apex court, Mark, among other things, argued that he had a lawful right to proceed with the appeal without seeking leave of the trial court.

He also raised the issue of jurisdiction, arguing that the trial court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain Bala’s suit.

In a unanimous judgement delivered on Thursday, a five-member panel of the supreme court held that the appeal fails in part and succeeds in part.

In the first part, the apex court agreed with the court of appeal’s verdict that the appellant (Mark) ought to have sought leave of the trial court before filing an appeal, since the substantive issues before the trial court had not yet been heard and determined.

“I find the court below to be right that the appellant, in whose favour the order of the federal high court was made, ought to have sought the leave of the court before appeal…” the supreme court held.

Mohammed Garba, who read the lead judgment, held that since the appellant failed to meet the condition precedent for filing the appeal, it robbed the appellate court and, by extension, the supreme court of jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

The lead justice also held that the issue opposing jurisdiction of the trial court cannot be determined by the supreme court since it is already the subject of a pending preliminary objection, which has not yet been determined at the high court.

“I therefore endorse the decision by the court below upholding the first respondent’s preliminary objection to the competence of the appellant’s appeal and an order striking it out on that ground,” Garba said.

Consequently, the court ordered the parties to go back and continue with the suit pending at the federal high court.

On the second issue, which succeeded, the supreme court said the court of appeal overstepped its boundaries by asking parties to maintain the status quo.

“Status quo ante bellum”, in legal terms, refers to restoring the condition of the position of things as they were before the dispute arose.

The court reasoned that once the appeal was dismissed, the court of appeal had become functus officio — meaning it had exhausted its authority in the case and could not make further substantive orders.

The supreme court consequently set aside the status quo order, describing it as “unnecessary, unwarranted and improper”.

“The court was wrong to have made a purported preservatory order suo moto in respect of a proceeding pending before the lower court, as that power belongs to that trial court, which shall be in control of proceedings in the matter when it is returned to it by the appellate court either for continuation, hearing or retrial as the case may be,” the court ruled.

DOES THIS MEAN DAVID MARK’S FACTION HAS WON?

The verdict of the supreme court does not mean victory for the Mark-led faction or even any faction.

While the removal of the status quo order may give the Mark-led faction some breathing room, the supreme court did not affirm any leadership.

The most important question of who legitimately controls the ADC remains unresolved.

The outcome will now depend on the decision of the trial court after full proceedings.

After the matter is resolved at the trial court, the losing faction would likely appeal the verdict back up to the supreme court.

Meanwhile, INEC has updated its website, listing Mark as the national chairman of the ADC and Aregbesola as national secretary

Culled from TheCable

Politics

2027: APC postpones presidential, governorship primaries

Published

1 month ago

April 23, 2026

admin

The All Progressives Congress has postponed its presidential primary election, earlier slated for May 15 and 16, to May 23, 2026, while the governorship primaries will now hold on May 21, 2026, in line with a revised timetable for its 2027 general election activities.

The APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, disclosed this at the end of the 186th National Working Committee meeting in Abuja on Thursday, announcing adjustments to the earlier schedule, including the postponement of key processes such as the screening of aspirants and the consideration of appeals.

Meseko also disclosed that the screening of aspirants, initially scheduled for May 6 to May 8, including the presidential screening set for May 9, has now been rescheduled.

Announcing the adjustment to the APC 2027 schedule of activities, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary stated, “We now have a new revised timetable in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the Electoral Act 2026, and the Independent National Electoral Commission revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.

“We hereby present the new revised timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of the 2027 general elections to the press.

“Notice had already been given to state chapters on Monday, 20th April. Sales of forms will commence this Saturday, 25th April, to Saturday, 2nd May, 2026. The last day for submission of completed forms and accompanying documents is now Monday, 4th May, 2026. Screening of aspirants – House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship, and Presidential—will hold as follows: Wednesday, 6th May to Friday, 8th May, 2026, for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and Governorship screening respectively. Saturday, 9th May, 2026, is the screening for Presidential aspirants.

“Publication of screening results for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship, and Presidential will hold on Monday, 11th May, 2026. Screening appeals will be handled by the appeal committees from Tuesday, 12th May to Wednesday, 13th May, 2026, for the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship, and Presidential.

“Primary elections of the All Progressives Congress commence as follows: Friday, 15th May, 2026: House of Representatives primary elections. Monday, 18th May, 2026: Senate primary elections. Wednesday, 20th May, 2026: State House of Assembly primary elections. Thursday, 21st May, 2026: Governorship primary elections.
Saturday, 23rd May, 2026: Presidential primary elections.”

He announced that the post-primary appeal committees will sit on Monday, 18th May, 2026, for the House of Representatives; Wednesday, 20th May, 2026, for the Senate; Thursday, 21st May, 2026, for the State House of Assembly; Saturday, 23rd May, 2026, for the governorship; and Monday, 25th May, 2026, for the presidential.

He continued, “That is one of the resolutions today. The second is the schedule of activities and timetable for the 2026 ward, LGA, and state congresses in Zamfara State, beginning Tuesday, 28th April, 2026. The ward congresses, LGA congresses, and state congresses will commence on that date.

“Screening of aspirants for ward executive positions will follow on Wednesday, 29th April, 2026. Ward congresses will be held on Thursday, 30th April, 2026. Appeals from ward screening and ward congresses will be held on Friday, 1st May, 2026. Appeals arising from LGA congresses and screening of state executive members will also be held on the same day. Appeals arising from state congresses will be held on Sunday, 3rd May, 2026.
That is the timetable for the congresses in Zamfara State.”

He explained that the party has adopted the two modes of primary elections provided in the 2026 Electoral Act, direct primary and consensus, for selecting candidates for elective positions.

Meseko added, “In this 186th meeting of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, we adopted the mode of primaries as provided in the Electoral Act: direct and consensus mode, with a caveat that members are at liberty to pick.

“That is, aspirants are free to decide their preference in accordance with the Electoral Act. Where consensus works, it stands, and where an aspirant does not agree to consensus, it automatically reverts to direct primaries.

“There was also a rumour that forms would be restricted or limited to certain individuals. I am here to inform all party faithful and aspirants that nomination forms for all aspirants seeking offices under the All Progressives Congress are available for all, not exclusively reserved for any individual.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed the Presidential and National Assembly elections for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, February 6, 2027.

The commission also stated that party primaries, including the resolution of disputes arising from them, are scheduled to take place between April 23, 2026 and May 30, 2026.

According to INEC, campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, while campaigns for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026.

Politics

ADC crisis: Presidential ticket tears Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso apart

Published

2 months ago

April 16, 2026

admin

The crisis threatening to tear apart the African Democratic Congress (ADC) may get worse as the party’s presidential ticket is tearing supporters of major aspirants apart ahead of the primary.

It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to recognise any of the three camps laying claim to the party’s leadership.

This followed a Court of Appeal order in a suit challenging the recognition of David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and others as officials of the National Working Committee (NWC).

Many state chapters remain polarised and unable to hold congresses. Yet, the party on Tuesday held its convention in Abuja without INEC monitoring, a move widely considered risky.

Ahead of the primary to pick the ticket for the presidential candidate, there is a widening gulf among the camps of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and Kwankwasiyya Movement leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, all believed to be eyeing the ticket.

The trio are defectors from other parties who have converged on the ADC amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election.

While Atiku left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year to become the ADC arrowhead, Obi also quit the Labour Party (LP), on whose platform he contested the 2023 presidential election.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and ex-Defence Minister, left the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the ADC last month.

Despite their stated commitment to building a formidable opposition platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the cracks became evident shortly after the convention.

Atiku’s ally, Dele Momodu, said the former vice president’s camp favours an Atiku/Obi ticket.

However, Obi’s camp rejected the proposal, insisting that the ticket should be zoned to the South.

Momodu argued that pairing Obi with Atiku would give the ADC a significant electoral advantage, citing their previous collaboration in 2019.

The duo, however, lost the election to the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking on television on Tuesday night, Momodu said: “I’d pair him (Atiku) with Peter Obi because they worked together in 2019. So, they already share a similar temperament.

“Peter Obi came third in the last election. You don’t have to work too hard to maintain and attract the same group of people who love him.”

He maintained that the proposed Atiku/Obi alliance, if consummated, would strengthen the opposition’s chances of capturing federal power, especially amid ongoing political realignments.

But the Coordinator of the Obedient Movement – Obi’s caucus within the ADC – Tanko Yunusa, insisted that zoning the ticket to the South remains the only acceptable option.

He added that once zoned to the South, Obi should emerge as the sole beneficiary and be paired with Kwankwaso.

Yunusa, who also spoke on television, said Obi enjoys broad acceptability within the ADC.

According to him, the reception accorded Obi and Kwankwaso by delegates at Tuesday’s national convention reflected the preference of party members.

He warned that the ADC risks losing the election if its candidate does not emerge from the South.

Yunusa described the former Anambra State governor as the best choice for the ticket, citing what he called his integrity and lack of political baggage.

He said: “You’ve never seen him (Obi) owning a debt. Neither have you seen him segregating. In all of that, he still mingles with his colleagues to fight for the soul of the country.”

He added that Obi has recognised the need to build alliances with the North, noting his increasing engagement with northern leaders across religious lines.

Yunusa said: “When he came to my state in Kano, you could see the synergy between him and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The reception was overwhelming; we barely managed the mammoth crowd.

“It was shouts of Obi/Kwankwaso! Obi/Kwankwaso! The signage and the chorus showed a major shift from what it was in 2023 and 2026 towards 2027. I was elated.”

He dismissed the suggestion of an Atiku/Obi ticket as unworkable.

Yunusa said: “It’s a Southern presidency. To make it easier for the party to win, zone it to the South and give the candidacy to the region, and you are assured of victory.

“Anything short of that will only lead to defeat. Nigerians should conduct independent assessments.

“The level of enthusiasm and support shown for Peter Obi and Kwankwaso indicates that the people have spoken.

“If those two are paired – Peter Obi as presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as running mate – the election would effectively be decided early.

“The momentum has grown, especially among young Nigerians seeking credible leadership and good governance.”

There is also a widespread belief that Atiku, 79, may have an edge over Obi in a competitive primary, given his long-standing experience in party contests dating back to 1991/1992.

This perception has fuelled calls by Obi’s supporters for the ticket to be zoned to the South, effectively limiting Atiku’s chances of contesting.

However, the ADC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, has repeatedly assured that the party will provide a level playing field for all aspirants.

Last week, Obi reiterated that the process for selecting the party’s candidate must not be “transactional.”

He said in an interview: “In the PDP, I left for the LP because people were not playing by the rules.

“The presidential primary was transactional. I cannot be part of transactional primaries. I cannot pay people to serve them.

“I may not have spent a long time in politics, but even if I had to repeat the process 20 times, I would take the same decision – to leave. I cannot advocate change while participating in a flawed process.

“I am now in the ADC with some of the same people I left in the PDP and other parties.

“But if the same process is compromised again, I will speak out.

“I have never been involved in any form of election rigging – at the primary level, during the election, or afterwards.”