As discussions on a possible opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections intensify, former Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has expressed his support for a fresh candidate—either from the North or South—who is willing to serve only a single four-year term.
Okonkwo, a lawyer and politician who left the Labour Party in February 2025, argues that such an arrangement aligns with the principle of equity and rotational presidency, which has been an unwritten rule in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“Everybody should come together. It is something that can be discussed. Who is going to do four years is going to influence who I am going to support because I still believe in equity and justice,” Okonkwo said on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
His comments come at a time when speculation about a major opposition coalition is gaining momentum. The recent defection of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has fueled further speculation. El-Rufai has been seen in meetings with prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Okonkwo, who has also met with Atiku recently, emphasized the need for opposition parties to unite in order to dislodge President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led government. He criticized the administration, describing it as incompetent and incapable of addressing the country’s pressing challenges.
According to Okonkwo, the opposition must take a cue from the APC’s 2013 merger strategy, which ultimately led to the defeat of the PDP in 2015. He believes a divided opposition cannot effectively challenge the ruling party.
“If the opposition is serious about wresting power from this incompetent government, they must all come together and act as one. That was what the APC did in 2013, and that was what helped them to wrest power in 2015,” he asserted.
“I believe in coalition. When I left [Labour Party], I said I am open to discussions with every group to consolidate the opposition so that we can take out this government.”
Okonkwo acknowledged that the 2027 election presents unique challenges due to Nigeria’s long-standing informal rotational presidency arrangement, where power alternates between the North and South. He noted that the current administration has completed only four years in the South, making the next transition a highly sensitive issue.
“2027 is one of the most complicated and complex times in Nigeria’s political history because we have this gentleman’s agreement—eight years in the South, eight years in the North,” he explained.
“Now, when an incumbent is not doing well, and we are in the middle of his tenure, it becomes difficult to predict what will happen. Would you say you want a fresh person from the South? The North will say that means he will do another eight years. They will be scared, and politicians are not very good at being trusted.
“Would you allow an incompetent government to continue just because you want to sacrifice the whole of Nigeria? Or would you say let it go to the North, when the South has only had four years? The South would feel shortchanged.”
To address these concerns, Okonkwo proposed a compromise solution in which a new president—whether from the North or South—would serve only a four-year term before handing over power to the opposite region.
“The best thing, if politicians were to be trusted, is to have a free, fair primary where every qualified person, whether from the South or North, can partake,” he suggested.
“Whoever emerges must agree to do just four years. If a northerner serves for four years, it would have been shared equally between North and South—four years each—before returning to the South for a full eight-year tenure. If a Southerner emerges, he should also do just four years to complete the South’s eight years before power shifts to the North.”
He, however, warned against any attempts to impose candidates without a transparent primary process, stressing that such an approach would be undemocratic and counterproductive.
