South-North Progressive asks NASS to legislate on power rotation
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, an advocacy group, the South-North Progressive Forum (SNPF), has embarked on a nationwide campaign, demanding that the presidency be zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria to correct a historic power imbalance and foster national unity. Addressing reporters in Abuja on Sunday, Chairman of the SNPF, Comrade Festus Onyekwulisi, […]
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, an advocacy group, the South-North Progressive Forum (SNPF), has embarked on a nationwide campaign, demanding that the presidency be zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria to correct a historic power imbalance and foster national unity.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Sunday, Chairman of the SNPF, Comrade Festus Onyekwulisi, also called on the National Assembly to put together a legal framework for power rotation between the South and the North, saying that they are ready to present a data-driven case for equitable power rotation between the North and South.
Onyekwulisi said it is no longer enough for few political elites to agree to the zoning of 2027 presidency to the South, saying there must be a conscious mobilization to ensure that millions of citizens across southern states as well as the nineteen northern states actively buy into this idea and we are quietly leading the building of a national consensus that would impact the voting process in 2027,” Onyekwulisi stated.
The SNPF is also calling on the National Assembly to enact laws formalizing power rotation for elective positions and urging all political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) which is yet to zone its candidacy, to embrace zoning to the South in 2027, for the sake of national stability.
“As the 2027 elections draw nearer, the South-North Progressive Forum is positioning itself as a potent, issue-based movement determined to ensure that the next election is fought on the tenets of equity and justice, potentially reshaping the nation’s political landscape,” the SPNF leader stated
Citing Nigeria’s democratic history since 1957, Onyekwulisi revealed a stark disparity: the North has held the presidency for a cumulative 24 years, compared to the South’s 18 years.
He argued that allowing the South another four-year term in 2027 is not a matter of political favour but a necessary step to reinforce the principles of fairness, federal character, and national cohesion.
“This is not about mere politics, it is about national integration, equity, justice, and fairness, it is about ensuring national cohesion so that we have peace in this nation; our vision is a Nigeria where no group dominates, but where every section has a genuine sense of belonging,” he stated.
Beyond advocacy, the SNPF is also backing its words with a formidable grassroots mobilization strategy and an ambitious plan to galvanise a minimum of 10 million votes to ensure the emergence of a Southern president in 2027.
Onyekwulisi detailed a sophisticated “mobilization framework” that has already seen the appointment of coordinators in over 30,000 of Nigeria’s 58,300 identified communities, towns and villages.
To combat voter apathy and the menace of electoral malpractices, Onyekwulisi said the group is running simultaneous sensitization programs, warning that politicians who are planning to weaponize insecurity, hunger, or religious and ethnic sentiments will be disappointed in 2027.
The SNPF is also calling on the National Assembly to enact laws formalizing power rotation for elective positions and urging all political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) which is yet to zone its candidacy, to embrace zoning to the South in 2027, for the sake of national stability.