By Muhammad Mamman
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has declared that Nigeria’s presidency should remain in the South in 2027, intensifying the growing national debate over zoning and political succession ahead of the next general election.
Speaking during a political gathering in Yola, the state capital, Fintiri insisted that maintaining the presidency in the southern region would uphold the country’s long-standing principle of rotational leadership and promote national stability.
“The unity of Nigeria must remain paramount,” the governor said. “The spirit of equity and fairness demands that the presidency remains in the South.”
Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement — adopted by major political parties since the return to civilian rule in 1999 — has traditionally rotated power between the North and South to balance the country’s complex ethnic, religious and regional dynamics.
The debate has resurfaced amid speculation over the political landscape ahead of 2027 and discussions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Fintiri, a senior figure within the PDP, argued that preserving the rotation principle would strengthen trust in Nigeria’s democratic system and prevent regional tensions.
Political analysts say the early positioning by influential governors signals that conversations about 2027 are already shaping party alignments, coalition talks and strategic calculations across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a southerner elected in 2023, is expected to play a central role in determining the direction of the debate, particularly within the APC.
While no formal party positions have yet been adopted, Fintiri’s remarks underscore the sensitivity of zoning in Nigeria’s political calculus — where regional balance is often seen as critical to electoral success and national cohesion.
As political consultations quietly intensify, observers say the question of whether power should remain in the South or rotate back to the North may become one of the defining issues of the 2027 race.
