Political activist, Deji Adeyanju, has asserted that former President Goodluck Jonathan remains the only southern politician capable of earning the trust of northern voters in the lead-up to the 2027 presidential election.
In a Facebook post, Adeyanju highlighted ongoing discussions within the opposition coalition, where some members have proposed zoning the presidential ticket to the South.
This, they argue, would effectively prevent former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from contesting again.
“I have seen the argument by some that to prevent serial contestant, Atiku, from securing the ticket, the coalition should zone to the south and shut him out from the race,” Adeyanju stated.
“This is also a valid argument since technically, southern Nigeria have 4 more years.”
However, he cautioned that such a strategy comes with significant political risks. According to him, northern voters are more inclined to support President Bola Tinubu for a second term rather than back a new candidate from the South.
“The only problem with this argument is that most northerners will rather trust Tinubu’s four more years than a new southern candidate,” he said.
Adeyanju emphasized that Jonathan is uniquely positioned to overcome this hurdle due to his established credibility in the North.
“Only GEJ can easily secure the trust of the north with this argument. Politics is about trust, and nobody is willing to take such a risk,” he added.
