Loyalists of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso have urged Nigeria’s fragmented opposition to rally behind a southern presidential candidate, sharpening early fault lines in efforts to build a united front ahead of the 2027 general election.
The intervention comes as key opposition platforms – including the African Democratic Congress, the New Nigeria People’s Party and the Social Democratic Party – weigh whether to prioritise electoral pragmatism or adhere to the country’s long-standing, if informal, zoning convention.
Pressure for a southern consensus candidate intensified following a high-profile gathering in Ibadan, where political heavyweights, among them Atiku Abubakar, Obi, Kwankwaso and former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi, explored the contours of a joint challenge to President Bola Tinubu. Participants were said to have agreed, in principle, on the need to present a single candidate – a move seen as an attempt to avoid the vote-splitting that weakened opposition chances in 2023.
Yet the question of who should carry that banner has quickly become contentious.
For advocates of zoning, the argument is framed in terms of equity and continuity. Yunusa Tanko, a leading figure in the Obidient movement, said the presidency should remain in the South to complete what many see as a rotational cycle. Obi, he noted, has signalled a willingness to serve a single four-year term, a pledge supporters say could ease regional anxieties.
Tanko also cast Obi as the opposition’s most viable unifying figure, pointing to his popularity among younger voters and the enthusiastic reception he continues to attract across the country.
Justin Ijeh, spokesman for the Obi–Kwankwaso movement, struck a similar note, describing zoning as a “pragmatic” tool for managing Nigeria’s diversity. While not constitutionally mandated, he argued, it has functioned as a stabilising political convention since 1999, and abandoning it risks reopening sectional tensions.
But not all parties are persuaded.
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson for the ADC, said the party was not wedded to zoning, insisting that “electoral viability” would be the overriding consideration in choosing a candidate. His remarks point to a possible preference for an open contest, in which popularity, reach and campaign strength outweigh regional calculations.
The NNPP, by contrast, appears to be seeking a middle ground. Its spokesman, Ladipo Johnson, said a consensus candidate could still emerge within a zoning framework, provided the individual commands national appeal across both North and South. “Getting to beat Tinubu is the task before us,” he said, describing current discussions as preliminary and fluid.
At the SDP, chairman Shehu Gabam acknowledged zoning as a legitimate factor but stressed that ultimate decisions would rest with party structures and broader strategic interests. He declined to confirm whether the party would formally join any emerging coalition, saying it was “too early to tell”.
For now, the opposition’s renewed courtship of unity reflects a shared reading of the last election cycle: that fragmentation proved costly. Whether that lesson can overcome entrenched rivalries – and reconcile competing views on zoning, leadership and ideology – will determine whether the Ibadan talks mark the start of a credible alliance or another false dawn.
