A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the South should produce Nigeria’s next president in 2027, saying he will not contest the election.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and two-term governor of Kaduna State said he plans to run for president in 2031 instead.
El-Rufai made the statement on Saturday in a post shared by ADC News (@AdcNews_) on X (formerly Twitter), where he was quoted as saying: “I refused to contest in 2027 because it is the turn of the South. You will see me in action come 2031.”
The post, which recorded over 57,000 views by Saturday night, praised El-Rufai for keeping to political agreements.
His remarks come amid ongoing debates within the ADC over zoning, although the party has said the issue is not a priority at the moment.
The ADC currently has three known presidential hopefuls: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the North; and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, both from the South.
