Top chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abba Moro, has called for the southern region of Nigeria to produce the next president in 2027. He argued this would uphold the informal power rotation agreement between the North and South.
Appearing on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, the Senate Minority Leader warned that political parties risking a northern candidacy could face defeat in the next general election.
The Benue South senator cited the PDP’s loss in 2023 as a consequence of fielding a northern candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to succeed fellow northerner Muhammadu Buhari—an arrangement that, he said, the electorate rejected.
“In 2023, the PDP aimed to oust the APC by presenting its strongest contender, Atiku Abubakar. But it violated the North-South rotational understanding,” Moro explained. “That decision backfired. The majority of Nigerians chose a southern candidate, respecting the fairness of that unwritten rule. By 2027, that southern presidency will have run for four years.”
While he did not name a preferred successor, Moro emphasised respect for constitutional provisions, noting that any president is allowed a maximum of two four-year terms.
He cautioned against attempts to shift power back to the North in 2027, calling it a recipe for instability. “The reasonable course is for the South to complete its eight years. By 2031, power can then rotate to the North,” he said.
Moro also welcomed the departure of Atiku and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, from the PDP, calling it “good riddance to bad rubbish.” He accused the pair of worsening the party’s internal crises following the 2023 election. Despite this, he expressed confidence that the PDP would rebound as a strong opposition.
Former Lagos governor Bola Tinubu won the 2023 election, defeating both Atiku and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and took office in May that year. Tinubu, a southerner, has announced his intention to run again in 2027 to complete the South’s turn in the informal zoning agreement.
Before Tinubu, Buhari—a retired general from the North-West—led the country from 2015 to 2023.
As the 2027 race nears, inter-party alliance talks peaked on July 2, 2025. Key opposition figures including Atiku, Obi, former Senate President David Mark, ex-ministers Rauf Aregbesola and Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai endorsed the African Democratic Party (ADC) as their coalition platform.
The opposition is banking on the 12 million combined votes Atiku and Obi secured in 2023—over four million more than Tinubu’s total, according to INEC—hoping to unseat him amid mounting criticism of his economic management, record-high inflation, and worsening cost of living.