North-Central lays claim to 2027 presidency

The agitation for Nigeria’s top leadership seat took a new turn at the weekend, as the North-Central Renaissance Movement (NCRM) demanded that the presidency be ceded to the zone in 2027.
 
Chairman and convener of the group, Prof. K’tso Nghargbu, said the zone, comprising Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Kwara states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has never produced an elected president or vice president since independence.
 
“It is our duty and responsibility to state clearly that the North-Central geopolitical zone seeks, requests and demands that political parties cede their presidential ticket to our region. Patronising us means having our votes. Despising us means losing our votes,” Nghargbu declared.
 
The group argued that the zone is uniquely positioned to bridge the country’s growing political divides, particularly the simmering tensions between elites in the far North and their counterparts in the South.
 
Nghargbu cited prominent politicians from the region, including Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader in the FCT, who has already indicated his intention to contest on the platform.