Labour Party National Deputy Youth Leader, Barry Johnson, has stated that he is against the idea of choosing Nasir El-Rufai or Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidates for the 2027 elections under the ADC-led opposition coalition.
During an interview with Trust TV, he emphasized that both figures should be ruled out entirely in any discussions regarding the presidency.
Johnson argued that the political balance and peaceful conduct of elections in Nigeria are closely tied to an unwritten gentleman’s agreement that began in 1999.
According to him, this agreement was initiated with Olusegun Obasanjo serving eight years, followed by Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was also expected to serve eight years, but whose term was cut short.
He noted that Goodluck Jonathan took over and was eventually voted out in 2015. According to him, the outcome of the election helped restore the balance.
He stressed the importance of respecting this historical arrangement in order to maintain national unity and order during elections.
He said, “Practically, Nasir El-Rufai, Atiku Abubakar should be discarded in this coalition arrangement when it comes to talking about the presidency in 2027. For us, we the Nigerian people must understand that the dichotomy of pressing Nigerians to be peaceful and orderly during elections has a lot to do with a gentleman’s agreement that we started in 1999 with Olusegun Obasanjo running eight years, and Yar’Adua coming to run another eight years, but unfortunately, we saw what happened and Goodluck continued. Goodluck was also removed in 2015 because of this dichotomy, and it became balanced.”
