2027: N’Central coalition gives conditions to back Tinubu
Hundreds of stakeholders and party leaders from the North-Central geopolitical zone have announced their collective determination to produce Nigeria’s next president in the 2027 elections, after 65 years of political marginalisation.
However, they have set a condition for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid — they will back his candidacy only if he is willing to sacrifice the current Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, and select a running mate from the North-Central region.
The demand was made by political representatives from the six states of the North-Central zone—Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa—and the Federal Capital Territory, during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
Leader of the North-Central Renaissance Movement, Prof. Nghargbu K’tso, addressed the press, decrying the region’s long-standing political exclusion.
He highlighted that the North-Central, despite hosting Nigeria’s seat of power (the FCT), has never produced either a President or Vice President since the country’s independence in 1960.
K’tso emphasised that the region has consistently been relegated to the status of second-class citizens, despite its significant contributions to the country.
“As Nigeria prepares to mark 65 years of independence on 1st October 2025, it will also mark 65 years of political exclusion for the North-Central zone,” K’tso stated.
“The region has been deprived of the chance to hold either of the two highest offices in the land. This is a zone that faces widespread insecurity, immense poverty, and the loss of countless lives.”
The professor pointed out that a review of Nigeria’s political leadership since the return to democracy in 1999 reveals that only the North-Central and South-East geopolitical zones have never occupied the highest offices in the country.
While the South-East had the opportunity to produce Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who served as vice president from 1979 to 1983, the North-Central has had no such representation in the highest executive positions.
“Since 1999, the North-Central has not had the privilege of holding the office of President or Vice President, even though the region has made significant sacrifices,” K’tso said. “This has to change.”
The coalition, while acknowledging that the South-East’s situation is also dire, emphasised that the North-Central’s political exclusion is even more profound, given its central location in the country and its significant role in national development.
They are demanding that the Presidency be ceded to the North-Central region in the 2027 elections as a matter of fairness, equity, and justice.
“If the ruling APC chooses to offer President Tinubu the right of first refusal for the 2027 election ticket, we demand that his running mate must come from the North-Central region,” K’tso declared. “We insist that he must drop Vice President Shettima and pick someone from the North-Central. If the other political parties are serious about fairness, they too must feature presidential candidates from the North-Central zone.”
