Coalition of Southern Nigeria calls on Political Parties to zone Presidency to South …Urges INEC to deliver free, fair elections

By Austin Okoro – Owerri…

Arising from its emergency Zoom meeting recently, the leadership of Coalition of Southern Nigeria has called on all registered Political Parties to zone its Presidential Candidate position to the Southern part of the country as to maintain the zoning arrangement between North and South and ensure equity and fairness.

This was contained in a Press release of 27th March 2026, signed by its Chairman, Professor Vitalis Arikeze Ajumbe and Secretary Hon. Bello Osaretin and made available to the members of Public.

The group noted that the zoning arrangement is for a better Nigeria where fairness and equity reigns supreme.

According them: “all the registered political parties in Nigeria should as matter of fairness and equity uphold the tenets and sanctity of zoning arrangement as a philosophy that has long guaranteed the corporate existence and unity of Nigeria.

Prof Ajumbe

“That all the registered political parties should uphold the zoning arrangement and ensure that their Presidential Candidates come from the Southern part of Nigeria so that in the true spirit of the political balance between the North and South, the later will hold the Office of the Presidency of Nigeria for two terms of eight years after which the Office rotates back to the North in 2031.”

The group made up of prominent Nigerians and led by a former Commissioner in Imo State enjoins the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to conduct a free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

“That the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should ensure that it delivers to Nigerians free and fair elections as this will go a long way to sustaining Nigeria’s democratic experience.

“That INEC should guard against being seen as favouring any political party in the discharge of its duties as an unbiased umpire.

“That the electoral body should not repeat the shoddy experience of the 2023 presidential election where suddenly, the electoral body’s technology platform that was supposed to ensure a seamless upload of polling unit results broke down and INEC resorted to manual transmission of results with its attendant flaws and consequent alleged manipulation of the results of the election.

“That delivering a free, fair and credible election to Nigerians in 2027 by INEC will ensure that Nigeria’s fledgling and fragile democracy is not plunged into a state of anarchy and political turmoil”, It stated.