SMBLF Drops Heavy Warning to Political Parties, Demands Power Stay Down South for 2027

The political chess game ahead of the 2027 general elections has intensified sharply as the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) laid down a rigid marker, insisting that the nation’s highest office must remain in the Southern region.

Rising from a high-stakes emergency general meeting, the coalition of regional leaders issued a strongly worded communiqué warning that abandoning the unwritten principle of rotational zoning would deal a devastating blow to Nigeria’s fragile political stability and national trust.

According to the forum, maintaining regional power balance is no longer just a political preference but a fundamental requirement to keep the country united. The leaders stressed that political parties must respect regional equity and avoid any backroom maneuvers designed to subvert the established rotation framework.

“Preserving the zoning arrangement is essential for our national unity and democratic stability,” the leaders declared in their joint resolution, signed by prominent regional figures including Oladipo Olaitan, Bitrus Pogu, John Azuta-Mbata, and Godknows Igali. “Any attempt to truncate this understanding will only deepen political tension and threaten the peace of the country.”

Beyond the demand for a continuous Southern presidency, the coalition used the platform to press for sweeping structural overhauls. They called on the federal government and lawmakers to urgently review contentious sections of the Electoral Act, fast-track the creation of state police to curb rising insecurity, and implement aggressive economic reliefs to ease the daily suffering of ordinary citizens.

As political parties begin mapping out their strategies and candidate structures for the upcoming election cycle, the firm stance by the SMBLF sets the stage for fierce negotiations, forcing major political players to tread carefully on the sensitive issue of power rotation.