By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Veteran journalist and publisher, Chief Dele Momodu, has described the ongoing debate over zoning ahead of the 2027 general elections as a distraction, insisting that Nigerian politics is fundamentally driven by electoral arithmetic rather than sentiment or regional considerations.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, monitored by Persecondnews on Tuesday, Momodu argued that the country’s political discourse has been overly focused on zoning at the expense of pressing national challenges.
“The APC and President Tinubu understand very well that if they don’t bring in this zoning conversation, their path becomes more complicated. But I think it is a distraction from the real issues,” he said.
Momodu maintained that political success in Nigeria depends on strategy and vote aggregation across regions, not zoning arrangements which he said are not backed by the constitution.
“Politics is a game of numbers. If you cannot win elections, you are wasting your time talking about sentiment or zoning,” he stated.
He further insisted that electoral outcomes cannot be reduced to regional sentiment, arguing that voting patterns across Nigeria reflect shifting alliances and political strategy rather than fixed ethnic loyalty.
Momodu also defended the political relevance of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, describing him as a seasoned politician who understands the mechanics of electoral strategy.
He argued that Atiku has consistently remained a major force in Nigeria’s political space because of long term planning and coalition building, adding that dismissing him would be politically naive.
According to him, Atiku’s approach reflects a deep understanding of Nigeria’s electoral system, which he described as “meticulously structured around numbers and alliances rather than emotion.”
“People underestimate Atiku at their own risk. Politics here is not about sentiment; it is about arithmetic, structure, and experience.”
Momodu also referenced past elections to support his argument, insisting that no single candidate or region can win the presidency without broad national support.
“This is pure mathematics. Elections are not driven by emotion alone; they are driven by structure, strategy and numbers,” he added.
He warned that opposition fragmentation ahead of 2027 could hand advantage to the ruling party, stressing that divided coalitions rarely succeed in Nigeria’s presidential contests.
“If the opposition fractures, the biggest beneficiary is always the incumbent,” he said.
Momodu further maintained that the realities of Nigerian politics continue to reward strategy, alliances, and numbers over sentiment and zoning arguments, adding that any political calculation that ignores this structure risks being outperformed at the ballot.
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