…Ex-Governor Blames North’s 2023 Candidacy for Party Crisis, Calls for Southern Presidency in 2031
Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has issued a stark warning to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart Atiku Abubakar, declaring he will actively campaign against him should he contest the 2027 presidential election. In a fiery interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” Fayose reiterated his stance from the 2023 election, stating, “I publicly worked against Atiku, and I am saying for the second time, if Atiku comes again, I will work against him. It is time to learn our lesson.”
Fayose attributed the PDP’s internal turmoil to the party’s decision to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the North, a move he deemed a betrayal of established political norms. “After eight years of a Northerner, it is the turn of a Southerner, which could involve someone from the East, South West or South South,” he asserted. “Those who gave or zoned power back to the North caused all these problems.”
He emphasized the need for an “unwritten, respected gentleman’s understanding of powershift,” regardless of personal feelings towards figures like Nyesom Wike or Peter Obi. Fayose, who openly admitted to working against Atiku in 2023, maintained that his actions were driven by national interest, stating, “Nigeria is bigger than the PDP, APC.”
However, he acknowledged that for the PDP to regain its footing, it must uphold principles of accountability and respect for zoning agreements. “The party must be equitable, the party must be accountable. The party or parent that is irresponsible will produce irresponsible children, they will produce rebellion, they will produce anger,” he stated.
Looking ahead to the 2031 election cycle, Fayose declared his intention to champion a Southern presidency, even if it meant opposing a fellow Southerner. “After Asiwaju’s (Bola Tinubu) tenure, if God gives him a chance at a second term. Let a Southerner come out, we as leaders at that time, I will be over 70 or about 70, I will come out straight that a Southerner cannot be the President of Nigeria.”
