- Safiu Kehinde
Former spokesperson for the 2023 Labour Party’s Presidential campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has revealed what he considered as the the best strategy to oust President Bola Tinubu out of power at the 2027 General election.
Okonkwo made the disclosure while speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today’s programme on Tuesday.
The former aide to the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, held that the only way to defeat Tinubu is to replicate the President’s strategy at the 2015 General election which was his withdrawal of his presidential ambition for the emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Give Bola Tinubu his own style, his own strategy and he is back to Bourdillon. What did Bola Tinubu do in 2015, he went to the North, picked a man that he knows that all the Northerners are in support.
“As at that time, Bola Tinubu wanted to be President. But he knew that if he as a southerner tries to take out an incumbent southerner, he will fail because nobody has succeeded from the same section of the incumbent to take out an incumbent President.
“He went to the North and brought out a man that he knew all the Northerners are supporting. And when he brought him, any combination from the south took out Jonathan and he bade his own time and came in later to become the President. That is strategy.” Okonkwo said.
The former Nollywood actor declared his readiness to support a northern candidate at the 2027 election.
He however noted that the candidate must be well-loved by the northerners with an experience at the Presidency an additional advantage.
This hinted his likely support for former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who currently spearhead the new African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition party.
“My own strategy this time around is that I am going to support a Northerner in 2027. And my condition to the Northerners is that it must be a Northerner that the whole north will be willing to support.
“If the whole north is willing to support Atiku why not? If the whole north is willing to support Tambuwal, why not?
“The person must be qualified, must have experience, and if he have experience in the Presidency, it’s an added advantage. And then we put up anything from the south and push him.” He added.