Atiku Can Contest In 2027, But South Must Complete Eight Years – Doyin Okupe

A former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has the right to contest for the country’s highest office in the 2027 general election.

Speaking with NAN on Thursday, Okupe said the main obstacle to Atiku’s potential candidacy lies in the country’s geopolitical dynamics, not his age.

He noted that Nigeria’s informal power-sharing arrangement would favour a candidate from the south in 2027.

“Atiku failed in 2023, not because he was not a good person, but because people felt that a northern Muslim could not succeed another northern Muslim after eight years,” Okupe said.

“If Atiku still contests in 2027, he has a right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have, but geopolitics is an issue. The conditionality persists, a southerner would have just completed four years and needs another four-year term.

“It’s not in the constitution, but we agree that when a northerner does his eight years, a southerner will do. So, the north cannot now terminate the tenure of the south in 2027. It is not going to work.”

Okupe also weighed in on Peter Obi, Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, describing him as a strong contender.

He added that it would be difficult for Obi to dislodge Tinubu as the president in the 2027 presidential election.

“Obi can contest. Obi is a young man, very dynamic and very ambitious; but geopolitics is important in a country that has not achieved horizontal and vertical unity,” he said.

“The person who is occupying the place right now, Tinubu, is also a southerner, who is doing well. We can see what this gentleman (Tinubu) is doing. I wish Obi luck, but it is going to be an uphill task.”

Ibadan Stamped: She’s Innocent – Ex-queen Naomi’s Mother Begs For Tinubu Intervention Over Daughter’s Incarceration

The mother of Naomi Silekunola, a former wife of the Ooni of Ife, has issued a heartfelt plea to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians to intervene in her daughter’s ongoing legal troubles.

Silekunola is among the three individuals remanded in custody by the Iyaganku Magistrate Court in Ibadan.

They face charges of conspiracy, acts of neglect causing harm, and failure to ensure adequate security and medical facilities at a funfair event where a tragic stampede claimed the lives of 35 children last week.

In a video that has since gone viral, Mrs Funmilayo Ogunseyi tearfully appealed for mercy, describing her daughter’s actions as motivated by compassion.

“Have mercy on me. Mothers, have mercy. Come to my rescue,” Ogunseyi implored. “My child only came to Ibadan to help the needy; this was not her first time. We have travelled across the country helping children and the vulnerable. I sympathize with the families who lost their children; it was never our intention. Please, don’t let Naomi be imprisoned—she is innocent.”

Mrs Ogunseyi highlighted Naomi’s decade-long philanthropic efforts, which have included outreach programmes to support the elderly, children, and pregnant women across Nigeria.

She expressed deep regret over the unintended tragedy, stating, “Have mercy on me. Mothers, have mercy. Don’t let my life be destroyed.”

She shared the events leading up to the tragedy, explaining that crowds had begun to gather hours before the programme’s scheduled start at 10 a.m.

According to her, the stampede started around 6:30 a.m., long before Naomi arrived at the venue.

Mrs Ogunseyi also revealed that Naomi, who was reportedly ill, fainted during a police interrogation and is still in custody despite her fragile condition.

“The programme was supposed to begin at 10 a.m., but people started arriving the day before. By 6:30 a.m., the crowd was out of control.

“Naomi wasn’t even there yet. I received a call about the chaos while I was still asleep. My number was on the event flyer, so I was the one they contacted. Naomi, her older brother, and I went to the police station to report the incident, but she was arrested and later charged with murder,” Ogunseyi explained.

In tears, Ogunseyi made a heartfelt appeal to President Tinubu and other influential Nigerians, pleading for intervention. She claimed that her daughter’s predicament was the result of actions by “powerful individuals.”

“They’ve taken my daughter to prison. The courtroom was filled with police officers. I don’t know where else to turn. They say this is an ‘order from above.’ Please, I beg those in power to release her. She is not a killer; she was only trying to help. Naomi is sick and fragile. President Tinubu, I beg you, please help us,” she pleaded.

Mrs. Ogunseyi also expressed her condolences to the families of the deceased children, stressing that the tragedy was never intended.