As Nigeria’s political space warms up ahead of the 2027 general elections, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, former Abia State Chairman of Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign council, has appealed to the South to close ranks and rally behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his re-election bid.
Ogbonnaya, a notable chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Abia State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, stated that fairness and justice demand that the South completes its turn of eight years before power shifts to the North.
According to him, “I had once raised the alarm that some of us in the South are allowing ourselves to be manipulated to work against our own interest. It is time we see through this and form a common front.”
He specifically called on the South East and South South to work with the South West to ensure continuity, stressing that President Tinubu’s administration has already rolled out reforms such as the student loan scheme, increased federal allocations to states, and adjustments in the foreign exchange market that deserve consolidation.
Ogbonnaya condemned recent coalition efforts he described as “veiled Northern political strategies,” questioning why similar moves were absent when the North produced President Muhammadu Buhari for two terms.
“This is not about Tinubu or tribalism. It is about the rotation of the presidency between the North and South. The North has done eight years. The South, under Tinubu, should also do eight years,” he insisted.
He further urged Southerners to avoid distractions and maintain a united front, warning that internal divisions could weaken the region’s chance of securing a complete tenure before power returns to the North in 2031.
okay.ng reports that Ogbonnaya maintained that only unity could preserve the long-standing principle of power balance in Nigeria’s democracy.
