A political scholar and leader of the North Central stakeholders agitating for power shift to the region, Prof K’tso Nghargbu, on Tuesday, warned that the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition People’s Democratic Party risk losing the 2027 presidential election for ceding their tickets to the Southern region and shutting out the North.
Both the APC, which has adopted President Bola Tinubu as its sole candidate for the 2027 poll, and the PDP have zoned their presidential tickets to the South.
But other parties such as the African Democratic Congress, Labour Party and Social Democratic Party have yet to decide on their zoning arrangement.
Prof Nghargbu, while adressing a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, warned that shutting out the North as a whole and disregarding the agitation by the North Central stakeholders would spell doom for both the APC and the PDP.
He noted that if the ADC eventually fields a candidate from the North, particularly the North Central, it would win the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the North Central has all it takes, including human capital to clinch the presidency if there is a national consensus for the region to do so, arguing it has never taken a shot at the presidency since independence in 1960, despite its contributions to national development.
He said, “Any political party that will not zone its presidential ticket to the North and particularly, the North Central, risks not having the votes of the North Central people.
“When they throw it to the North, the North will sit down as a family and discuss who takes it. But they refused to do that. Our agitation is for good governance. Good governance thrives on peace, equity and justice.
“And we are saying, a zone that has been denied the opportunity for civilian stewardship since 1960 to date, is the most worth of consideration for such stewardship.”
On the chances of the ADC in 2027, Nghargbu said, “To answer your question, if the ADC fields a presidential candidate from the North and the North comes with bloc votes, it will win.”
