As discussions regarding coalition formation intensify in anticipation of the 2027 election, Kenneth Okonkwo, the former spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign, has expressed his intention to endorse a new candidate from either the southern or northern regions, provided that this individual is prepared to step down after a single four-year term.
His stance is based on principles of equity and fairness for both the northern and southern parts of the country, aligning with the informal convention of rotational presidency.
“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 said on a televised show.
The attorney, who left the Labour Party in February 2025, has expressed his willingness to join the emerging coalition aimed at defeating President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upcoming election.
Discussions regarding a coalition have recently gained traction, particularly following the defection of former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai has been seen alongside Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as other influential figures within the opposition. Similarly, Okonkwo has also met with Atiku, emphasizing the necessity for collaboration to overcome the ruling APC in the next election.
Okonkwo criticized the APC administration as ineffective, asserting that the opposition must present a united and strong front to reclaim power from the current government in the forthcoming election.
He said, “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.
“I believe in coalition. When I was leaving, I said I am open to discussions with every group to consolidate the opposition so that we can take out this government.”
The attorney characterized the 2027 election as intricate and multifaceted, yet indicated that the coalition could deliberate on the strategies for achieving success in the election.
Okonkwo said, “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.
“Now, when an incumbent is not doing well, and in the middle of his tenure, it is a very difficult thing to change or to project what will happen.
“Would you say you want to get a fresh person from the South? The North will say that means he will do another eight years. They will be scared, and politicians are not very good at being trusted.
“Would you allow an incompetent government to continue just because you want to sacrifice the whole of Nigeria? Just because you want to leave an incumbent government to finish eight years?
“Would you say let it go to the North when it has just been four years in the South? The South would say you are short-changing us. So, it is a very complicated thing.
“The best thing if politicians were to be trusted is to have a free, fair primary where every qualified person, whether South or North, would partake in it. And whoever would emerge would agree to do four years, whether from the South or the North.
“If he [northerner) does four years, it would have been shared between North and South – four years each, and then it returns to the South.
“Then 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.
“So, if the north agrees that the person there now is not doing well but it is not yet our turn but we can do four years – if the person emerges from the free and fair elections because if you begin to regiment it and say he won’t do primary, then it will be a selective thing, not democratic.”
