Salihu questions APC promoted zoning argument ahead of 2027 presidential election
By KEMI KASUMU
“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 in 2027 if that happens to be?” Salihu said, adding that the ADC remains open to candidates from all regions.
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr. Ladan Salihu, has questioned the fairness of limiting opportunities to one region, pointing out that past elections have shown voters prioritise leadership qualities over geography.
He berated the assumption that Nigeria’s presidency must automatically rotate between the South and the North, citing the 2015 general election as precedent.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard on Saturday, January 3, 2026, Salihu recalled how former President Goodluck Jonathan, a Southerner, lost his re-election bid despite being the incumbent.
He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the leadership of key figures including Bola Tinubu, successfully fielded Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, to defeat Jonathan.
Salihu argued that if a Southern president could be voted out while in office, there should be no objection to a Northern candidate emerging in the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the ADC is not ruling out the possibility of presenting a Southern candidate, but warned against allowing regional considerations to override merit. He stressed that competence, leadership capacity, and national appeal should be the primary factors guiding voters’ decisions.
He further questioned the fairness of restricting leadership opportunities to one region, noting that past elections have demonstrated that Nigerians are willing to prioritize perceived performance and credibility over geographical origin.
“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 in 2027 if that happens to be?” Salihu said, adding that the ADC remains open to candidates from all regions.
