In an interview with Vanguard on Saturday, January 3, 2026, Dr. Ladan Salihu, a key figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has challenged the idea that Nigeria should automatically rotate its presidency between the South and the North.
Salihu recalled the 2015 election when President Goodluck Jonathan, a Southerner, was removed from office despite being the sitting president.
He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by then-President Bola Tinubu and the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, successfully defeated Jonathan.
He argued that if a Southern president could be unseated while performing well, there is nothing wrong with choosing a Northern candidate in the next election.
Salihu stated that the ADC is not closing the door on a Southern candidate, but said decisions should not be driven by regional assumptions alone.
According to him, Nigerians should focus on the competence and appeal of candidates rather than predetermined regional arrangements.
He questioned the fairness of limiting opportunities to one region, pointing out that past elections have shown voters prioritize leadership qualities over geography.
”If you had a Southern president sitting in, that was doing excellently well, vilified and called all names, yet you brought Buhari from the North to take him out. What is wrong in getting a Northern candidate 2027 if that happens to be? And I’m not foreclosing any chance in the ADC having a Southern candidate,” he said.
Get More Interesting News By Using The Button Below.