A coalition of South-East advocacy organisations has called on Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to seek re-election in 2027 but instead support the emergence of a president from the South-East in the interest of equity, justice and national balance.
The call was made during a joint press conference held on March 16, 2026, at Universal Hotels in Enugu, organised by the South East Enlightenment Group, Igbo Leadership Development Foundation, and concerned stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement presented by the National President of the South East Enlightenment Group, Godwin Udibe, the coalition said the recently released timetable for the 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had signalled the beginning of political activities, making it necessary for the region to restate its long-standing demand for the presidency to rotate to the South-East.
“Consistent with our advocacy over the years for equity and justice and rotation of presidential power in particular, we deem it necessary to once again reiterate our stand for the emergence of a Nigerian President of South extraction,” Udibe said.
According to him, the South-East has been largely sidelined in the political calculations of major political parties ahead of the next presidential election.
Udibe argued that the situation presents a troubling outlook for the region, noting that the South-East has yet to produce a president under the current democratic dispensation.
“Under the present Fourth Republic, the South-West has taken the turn of the Southern bloc thrice, the South-South once, and the South-East none. The South-East has suffered the highest injustice as far as equity and fairness in rotation of presidential power is concerned,” he stated.
The coalition therefore called on all political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The common goal is to galvanise the South-East and other partners across the various regions of the country to support the South-East to produce the President of Nigeria in 2027,” Udibe said.
He recalled that a similar arrangement was adopted in 1998, when the major political parties at the time zoned their presidential tickets to the South-West following the annulment of the June 12 election.
“Consequently, we are appealing to all political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East in what would be a repeat of the zoning arrangement in 1998 when all the then three political parties zoned their presidential ticket to the South-West,” he added.
The coalition also warned that recent political defections into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should not be mistaken as a solution to the region’s challenges.
“We are not unmindful of the poaching game by the ruling APC, which as of today has 31 governors in its fold. We note that the defections do not translate into improved wellbeing of South-East citizens, neither can defection guarantee electoral success for the defectors,” Udibe said.
He emphasised that the region would support political parties that present a South-East presidential candidate.
“The South-East will identify with political parties that field their presidential candidate from the South-East,” he stated.
The coalition also issued a warning to political leaders from the region who may oppose the South-East presidency agenda.
“For the South-East governors working against the South-East presidency project, we will mobilise the South-East to vote them out,” Udibe declared.
He further urged President Tinubu to support the region’s quest for the presidency in the next election cycle.
“For equity’s sake, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to run for a second term in office in 2027 but to support a South-Easterner to clinch the presidency for a single term to complete eight years of the presidency in the South, after which the office should return to the North,” he said.
Udibe concluded by reaffirming the coalition’s commitment to mobilising support across the country to ensure that the South-East finally produces Nigeria’s president in 2027.
