Leaders under the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) have called on political parties to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, citing the need for equity, stability, and adherence to Nigeria’s power rotation tradition.
The position was reached at the Forum’s general meeting which held in Abuja, where delegates from key regional groups, including Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and Pan Niger Delta Forum, deliberated on national issues ahead of the next general elections.
Chairman of the Forum and leader of Afenifere, Oladipo Olaitan, said that zoning the presidency to the South remains critical to maintaining political balance, saying that such arrangements have been part of Nigeria’s democratic culture since 1999.
Furthermore, SMBLF called for urgent constitutional amendments to establish state and community policing as a response to worsening insecurity across the country.