Former presidential aide and ex-Director General of the Peter Obi 2023 Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has shared his thoughts on the political situation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections, speaking in an interview with DAILY SUN.
Okupe addressed the North’s push to regain political power and reflected on President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to Okupe, Nigeria’s political structure has been shaped by agreements and concessions among key stakeholders since independence in 1960, these agreements, he noted, have helped maintain the nation’s unity despite economic and social challenges.
He cited the 1999 presidential election as an example, where a consensus was reached to ensure a president from the South-West emerged to heal the wounds caused by Chief MKO Abiola’s contested election and subsequent death.
Okupe expressed concern about the lack of a unified national elite system in Nigeria and argued that the country remains stagnant because its leaders often prioritize sectional interests over national goals.
On the Northern elite’s current efforts, Okupe acknowledged the region’s young and brilliant minds coming together, believing such unity is essential for addressing the long-standing neglect of the Northern masses, however, he firmly stated that power would not return to the North in 2027.
“For 2027, we politicians, and I say that authoritatively, without any fear of contradiction or equivocation, I am part of this system, I am in this system, I understand this system, power cannot return to the North.”
“We rotate between the North and the South. The North does eight years, at the end of which the South does eight years. So, I’m not saying that Bola Tinubu must be president in 2027, but it is not going to be a northerner. We will speak in 2027. You know that this country was brought together by not even coercion, but by cooperation, understanding and concession on all fronts. There were times when the North did not have the requisite people to fill positions in the federal system,” he said.