2027: Kenneth Okonkwo backs single-term presidency, advocates opposition coalition

With discussions on political coalitions intensifying ahead of the 2027 elections, former Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has thrown his weight behind the idea of a single-term presidency, whether from the North or South, if it ensures fairness and equity in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Okonkwo, who left the Labour Party in February 2025, made this known during Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program on Channels Television. He emphasized that his support in the upcoming election would be influenced by a candidate’s willingness to step down after a four-year tenure.

“Everybody should come together. It is something that can be discussed. Who is going to do four years is going to influence who I am going to support because I still believe in equity and justice,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing conversations about forming a grand opposition coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s administration in 2027. The movement gained traction after former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

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El-Rufai has since been spotted in meetings with key political figures, including former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar. Similarly, Okonkwo recently met with Atiku, underscoring his call for unity among opposition forces.

According to him, the APC’s victory in 2015 was only possible because various opposition parties merged into a single entity. He believes a similar strategy is needed to unseat the ruling party.

“My game plan is simple: If the opposition is serious about wresting power from this incompetent government, they must all come together and act like one. That was what the APC did in 2013, and that was what helped them take power in 2015,” he argued.

Okonkwo described the 2027 election as “one of the most complicated and complex” in Nigeria’s political history due to the longstanding but unwritten rotational presidency agreement—eight years in the South, eight years in the North.

With Tinubu’s presidency set to complete four years in 2027, Okonkwo pointed out the dilemma facing opposition forces:

• Should a new southern candidate emerge, the North might resist, fearing an extended eight-year tenure.
• Should power shift to the North, the South may feel shortchanged.
• Should Tinubu be allowed to complete eight years despite growing dissatisfaction?

  “Would you allow an incompetent government to continue just because you want to sacrifice the whole of Nigeria? Or would you say let it go to the North when it has just been four years in the South? The South would say you are short-changing us. So, it is a very complicated thing,” he explained.

  His proposed solution? A free and fair primary election open to all qualified candidates from both regions, with the agreement that whoever emerges would serve only four years before handing over power to the opposite region.

  “If a northerner does four years, it would have been shared equally—four years each between North and South. Then power returns to the South for a full eight-year cycle. But if a fresh southern candidate wins, he must complete only four years before it moves north,” he suggested.

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