Actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo has warned that President Bola Tinubu is likely to win a second term in 2027 if the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fields a southern candidate, particularly Peter Obi, as its presidential flag bearer.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Okonkwo who served as a spokesperson for Obi during the 2023 presidential election argued that defeating Tinubu requires fielding a northern political heavyweight, not another candidate from the South.

“My strategy this time around is that I am going to support a northerner in 2027. If the whole north is willing to support an Atiku, why not? A Tambuwal? Why not? The person must be qualified. Experience in the presidency is an added advantage,” he said.

Okonkwo contended that regional dynamics remain a decisive factor in Nigerian elections, especially when the incumbent hails from the South-West. He warned that running a fresh southern candidate, particularly from the Southeast, would split the opposition vote and hand Tinubu an easy victory.

“Anybody telling you to bring a fresh southerner to compete against Tinubu, a southerner, is trying to zone the ticket to Tinubu and Tinubu will win outright,” he added.

Although he left the Labour Party in July 2024 due to internal disputes and what he described as Peter Obi’s silence on key issues, Okonkwo maintained that Obi won the 2023 election but had the result “stolen.”

“Even if a Southeast candidate wins again, the establishment will steal it from him, because there’s no incumbent to protect him,” he said. “But if the opposition presents a northern candidate, they can withstand and resist any manipulation.”

With Tinubu expected to be the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer in 2027, Okonkwo argued that running a southern challenger without strong institutional backing would only fracture the opposition and consolidate APC’s hold on power.

His comments come as the ADC-led opposition coalition comprising political heavyweights such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, David Mark, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Aminu Tambuwal, and Rauf Aregbesola tries to finalize its strategy for the next general elections.

While the coalition is banking on the combined 12 million votes secured by Atiku and Obi in 2023 more than four million above Tinubu’s declared total zoning disagreements and candidate selection disputes are already creating internal friction.

Observers say resolving these differences will be crucial if the coalition is to pose a unified and credible challenge to the ruling APC in 2027.