Friday, July 11, 2025 - 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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