PDP group urges Atiku, others to back Southern candidate
Arewa Youth Movement (AYM) has urged President Bola Tinubu to choose a Northern Christian as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election. Against the on backdrop of defections rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a group within the party under the aegis of ‘PDP 100 Percent’, appealed to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other northern politicians to support the emergence of a southern presidential candidate.
AYM said the President picking a Northern Christian would be a masterstroke needed to secure a second term. The National President, Muhammed Aboki, stated, yesterday, that Tinubu’s 2023 Muslim-Muslim ticket succeeded electorally but alienated critical Christian blocs, particularly in the North. Aboki warned that repeating the same strategy in 2027 could backfire.
According to him, the President’s loss in key Northern Christian strongholds such as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as Plateau and Nasarawa states, in the last election was due to perceived exclusion.
He noted that a Northern Christian running mate would neutralise opposition gains in the Middle Belt and strengthen the All Progressives Congress (APC) internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 poll.
“For the 2027 elections, a recalibration of this equation could yield electoral dividends. Selecting a Christian running mate from the North would address the criticisms of religious imbalance and broaden Tinubu’s appeal, especially in the Middle Belt and other Christian-dominated areas of the North.
“A Northern Christian VP would send a strong message of unity, inclusiveness and sensitivity to Nigeria’s diverse religious makeup. It would help counter narratives that the APC is indifferent to Christian interests,” the statement noted.
PDP 100 Per cent blamed the former VP for PDP woes as he reportedly masterminded those who sabotaged former President Goodluck Jonathan when he led five governors to defect to the APC in 2014.
The National Coordinator, Dennis Shima, said: “At this critical turning point in our democratic history, it is imperative to call on all and sundry within PDP to support a southern presidential candidate to complete the remaining part of the South’s eight years in the presidency.
“Southern Nigeria has credible and young presidential materials that can match the incumbent President Tinubu than recycling the old brigade who continue to dominate the political scene.”
The group advocated young and vibrant politicians in the South, such as Governor Seyi Makinde, to be supported for the PDP presidential ticket in 2027.It urged party members to disregard the role played by Makinde in the G5 headed by former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of FCT and others.
