Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has declared his opposition to the push for a northern presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections, insisting that the south must be allowed to complete its eight-year term.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Makurdi, the state capital, Ortom maintained that fairness and national unity demand that President Bola Tinubu, a southerner, be allowed to complete a full two-term cycle before power rotates back to the north.

“Till today, I, Ortom, believe in a southern presidency,” he said. “Even if my party, the PDP, is producing a candidate in 2027, that candidate must come from the south. Anything short of that is wrong.”

Ortom referenced Nigeria’s unwritten power rotation agreement, which informally alternates the presidency between the northern and southern regions.

“There is an unwritten constitution in this country: eight years for the north, eight years for the south,” he said. “We must work together to preserve our unity and respect our diversity.”

President Tinubu, from Lagos State, was elected in 2023 to succeed Muhammadu Buhari, who governed from 2015 to 2023 as a northerner from Katsina State.

Ortom also dismissed the recent formation of an opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which some leaders including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are using as a platform to challenge the APC in 2027.

“I don’t believe in the coalition,” Ortom stated. “There is nothing like that at the moment. The PDP is not in any coalition.”

He added that while politics involves shifting alliances, any future alignment would be strategic and issue-based.

“Politics is a game of interest. There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests,” he said. “The PDP may form alliances when appropriate, but for now, we stand alone.”

Ortom’s stance highlights growing divergence within the opposition ranks as debates over zoning, strategy, and coalition-building intensify ahead of the next presidential race.