Actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo, former spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, asserts that a pragmatic and strategic political move to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections would require fielding a Northern candidate.
He argues that a new Southern challenger lacks the national political leverage to unseat a sitting Southern president.
Speaking with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Okonkwo explained that the 2023 political context differs sharply from the dynamics leading into 2027.
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He noted that the 2023 election featured no incumbent and power resided in the North, making the upcoming election significantly more complex.
“In 2023, we had a viable alternative platform in the Labour Party and no incumbent in power. Power was in the North. In 2027, there’s now an incumbent from the South who has declared publicly that he knows how to grab, snatch and run with power,” Okonkwo said, referencing comments attributed to President Tinubu before the 2023 elections.
Okonkwo stressed that political realism, not idealism, must guide opposition strategies, given the persistent issues of electoral manipulation and unresolved electoral reforms in Nigeria.
“I do not believe we are going to have free, fair, credible elections in 2027,” he stated.
He questioned the viability of fielding “a fresh candidate from the South-East without the backing of military or security forces to confront an incumbent from the South-West, who controls state machinery.”
He drew a historical parallel to 2015, when Tinubu, as a political kingmaker, allied with Muhammadu Buhari—a Northern candidate with a consistent 12-million-vote base in the North—to unseat incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, who was also a Southerner.
“Buhari gets 12 million votes only when he runs against Southern candidates. In 2007, when he contested against Yar’Adua, he got just 7 million. Tinubu knew he could not win Jonathan, another Southerner, so he brought Buhari,” Okonkwo explained.
The seasoned actor maintained that any strategy aiming for “disruptive change” in 2027 must reflect such pragmatism.
While acknowledging his personal stance, Okonkwo clarified that his position does not reflect the official stance of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), even though the party has agreed to a four-year transition plan if elected and promises open, competitive primaries for all aspirants.
“If Tinubu had done well, I would have gone home and slept,” Okonkwo stated. “But with the economy in chaos, insecurity rising, and the Muslim-Muslim ticket still in play, we cannot afford to give him 8 years through a potential second term.”
He concluded by noting, “The ADC is not zoning to the North. That’s my strategy because it’s the only way to unseat Tinubu. The party has committed to free and fair primaries where everyone can contest.”
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