I don’t support northern presidency in 2027. South must complete eight years – Former Governor Ortom

Samuel Ortom, former governor of Benue State, has declared that he does not support a return of the presidency to the north in the 2027 general elections, insisting that the south must be allowed to complete its turn in the country’s power-sharing arrangement.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, July 10, in Makurdi, the Benue capital, Ortom pushed back against suggestions by some political figures that only a northern candidate could defeat President Bola Tinubu in the next elections.

“Till today, I, Ortom, believe in a southern presidency; even if my party [the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)] is producing a candidate for presidency in 2027, the candidate must be from the south,” he said.

“South should be allowed to complete eight years. So, I do not support a northern candidate.

“There is an unwritten constitution in this country that the north should rule for eight years and the south [should also govern for] eight years.

“Anything that is not a southern presidency, I’m not in. It is wrong. We must work together as a people for our unity and diversity. The common thing we have agreed on in this country is eight years for the north and eight for the south.”

President Tinubu, a southerner from Lagos State, was elected in 2023 after Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner from Katsina State, served two terms from 2015 to 2023. Ortom’s stance aligns with the view that political stability in Nigeria is anchored on the informal agreement of rotating power between the north and south.

On the growing talks of opposition unity, Ortom distanced the PDP from the coalition being formed under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) banner, saying the party has no plans to merge with any other political movement at this stage.

“Politics is a game of interest. There are no permanent enemies, but permanent interests. What you are seeing is a normal thing in politics. It is nothing new,” he said.

“I don’t believe in coalition. There is nothing like a coalition at the moment. We are not doing a coalition with anybody.” He, however, left the door open to future political partnerships, stating, “The PDP may form alliances when appropriate.”

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