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Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bashorun Dele Momodu, has described the growing debate around presidential zoning ahead of the 2027 elections as a distraction from Nigeria’s major problems, including insecurity, poor electricity supply and governance failures.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Momodu said political discussions in the country had shifted away from issues affecting ordinary Nigerians to arguments over where presidential candidates should come from.
“I’m not going to be bogged into this zoning brouhaha because I’ve realized that it is a deliberate distraction from the important issues that we should be discussing. Instead of us now discussing we have no electricity, security is nil, and so on and so forth, all we’re now talking about is where a man comes from,” he said.
Momodu alleged that the ruling APC was deliberately pushing the zoning narrative because it believes regional politics remains key to securing victory in the 2027 presidential election. According to him, the debate has overshadowed conversations around governance and national development.
“Zoning has suddenly become important because politicians now see it as the only credential required to win an election, especially the presidential election. The APC and Tinubu, they know very well that if they don’t drum up this issue of zoning, there is no clear path to victory for them,” he stated.
The media entrepreneur also accused President Bola Tinubu of deepening regional divisions across the country, claiming Nigerians were increasingly being forced to see politics through ethnic and regional lines.
“That is what Tinubu has succeeded in doing: dividing Nigeria into North versus South,” Momodu alleged.
Speaking on opposition politics ahead of 2027, Momodu insisted that elections are won through strategy and numbers, not emotions or online popularity. He warned against assumptions that a possible alliance involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso would automatically defeat the APC.
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“Elections don’t run on emotion. It’s a shame that people don’t read. We just go on the internet and shout: ‘Once we have Obi and Kwankwaso, it is over.’ Nothing is over,” he said.
Momodu also defended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s decision to remain in the presidential race, saying nobody had the right to pressure him into stepping down for another aspirant.
“This campaign against Atiku is well-coordinated. He’s not a foolish old man. You cannot bully him out of a contest; it is his right,” he said.
Questioning calls for Obi to emerge as the sole opposition candidate, Momodu recalled that Atiku picked Obi as his running mate in 2019 but the ticket still lost the election.
“Why can’t Obi be his Vice President? He brought Obi as VP running mate in 2019; they did not win. So, why the hurry that it must be only Obi?” he queried.
He added that President Tinubu should not be underestimated ahead of the next election, noting that the president still controls strong political structures across parts of the North and enjoys the advantage of incumbency.
“I’ve been following presidential elections since 1993, and trust me, it is pure mathematics,” Momodu added.
