2027 polls: Fresh concern emerges over zoning at coalition bloc

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has cautioned opposition coalition leaders against endorsing a Southern-only presidential candidacy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He warned such a move would be divisive and detrimental to the coalition’s aim of unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a statement released in Abuja on Monday, June 7, Frank urged the coalition to prioritise competence, national acceptability, and popular mandate over ethnic or regional considerations.

“Nigeria needs a president for all Nigerians, not a president for northern or southern Nigeria. If a Southern or Northern candidate is popular enough for Nigerians to vote for him across board, let him emerge as the president,” he said.

Frank commended the coalition’s progress so far but cautioned against distractions fuelled by regional interests.

“What should be of concern to the coalition now is not about region but capacity and general acceptability.

“If you say you’re popular enough, go for free and fair primaries,” he said.

He criticised advocates of a “Southern-only” presidency, calling such claims “divisive” and an insult to members from other geopolitical zones.

Frank noted that under democratic rule since 1999, the South has held power longer than the North, tallying 18 years to the North’s 10 by 2027.

“As a Southerner, I stand for the truth even though it may be bitter. Nigeria is one, and what we need is leadership with experience,” he added.

Frank, who is also the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, called on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to ensure free and open primary elections within the coalition.

He warned that pushing a Southern-only agenda could fracture the opposition and inflame ethnic tensions.

“If we’re talking about a better Nigeria, the focus must be on a president elected by the generality of Nigerians, not based on geography.”