Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign, has predicted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will retain power in 2027 — but only if the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) fields a southern candidate.
Okonkwo made the statement during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television political talk show, on Tuesday, July 8.
According to him, presenting a candidate from the south against Tinubu, who is also southern, would make it easier for the president to win again.
“Anybody telling you to bring a fresh southerner to compete against Tinubu, a southerner, is trying to zone the ticket to Tinubu—and Tinubu will win outright,” he warned.
“Support a northern heavyweight” — Okonkwo advises opposition
The Nollywood actor-turned-politician stressed that the only viable route to victory for the opposition is to present a strong northern figure to challenge the incumbent.
“My strategy this time around is that I am going to support a northerner in 2027,” he said.
“It must be a northerner that the whole north is willing to support. If the whole north is willing to support an Atiku, why not? If the whole north is willing to support a Tambuwal, why not?”
He emphasized that the candidate must be experienced and broadly acceptable across the northern region, while running with a credible southerner as a running mate.
Tinubu has “become incurably bad” — Okonkwo
Okonkwo accused Tinubu of poor governance and insisted he must be stopped. But he believes only a strategic political formula can unseat the president.
“Tinubu has become incurably bad,” he said.
“Anybody telling you it’s injustice if the north comes in… if the south comes in… whoever wins a primary election will take it for four years. Where is the injustice? It has happened before.”
He further argued that Nigeria’s political structure gives advantage to candidates with establishment backing — typically those from the north.
In a blunt assessment of the country’s political realities, Okonkwo claimed that a south-eastern candidate is unlikely to succeed without institutional support, especially against an incumbent.
“If you bring somebody from the south-east, even if he wins, they will steal it from him,” he said.
“Peter Obi won the election in 2023, and they stole it from us. If you do it again, they will still steal it because there is no incumbent to defend the victory.”
He added that the south-west had been strategic in never contesting against incumbents — a tactic he believes the south-east must learn from.
From Labour Party to ADC: Okonkwo’s political shift
Okonkwo left the Labour Party in July 2024, following internal conflicts and what he described as Peter Obi’s inability to assert firm leadership.
Last week, a coalition of political actors formally announced the ADC as their platform for the 2027 elections. The coalition aims to build a united front to challenge the APC and its incumbent president.
