Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has said the 2027 presidential election should be contested by President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi and other southern candidates, arguing that the South should be allowed to complete an eight-year presidential tenure.
Sani made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, September 17, 2026, amid ongoing debate over zoning and rotational presidency ahead of the 2027 election.
He listed Tinubu, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Seyi Makinde, Adewole Adebayo and Donald Duke among the southern candidates he believes should participate in the 2027 contest.
According to Sani, although rotational presidency between the North and South is not provided for in the Nigerian Constitution, he considers the arrangement equitable based on the country’s political history.
He said the North should have what he described as an “unchallengeable right” to the presidency in 2031 after the South completes its eight-year tenure.
Sani also warned that those rejecting the principle of power rotation in 2027 should not expect it to be respected when power is due to return to the North in 2031.
His comments come after the Independent National Electoral Commission released the final list of 18 presidential candidates for the January 16, 2027 election. The list includes Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Sowore, Makinde, Donald Duke and Adewole Adebayo, among others.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, has previously argued that there is no constitutional provision requiring presidential power to rotate between the North and South. In April 2026, however, he said he would pursue a constitutional amendment to establish rotational presidency if elected.
