By SN24.com 
By Peter Akpah.
Jos, Plateau State – A non-partisan support group, Peter Obi Our President (PETOOP), has called for the zoning of the 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria and demanded the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, citing alleged partisanship and loss of public trust.
The group made its position known on Friday, April 18, 2026, during a press briefing titled “Securing Nigeria’s Future: A Press Briefing on Political Justice and Electoral Integrity” held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Jos. Addressing journalists, civil society leaders, and stakeholders, National Convener Magnus Oraka said Nigeria was at a critical point that required urgent political reforms to safeguard its democratic future.
Oraka said the group had two non-negotiable advisories. The first was directed at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the 2027 presidential race. The second concerned what he described as the compromised leadership of INEC under Prof. Amupitan.
On the ADC, PETOOP advised the party to zone its presidential ticket to the South. Oraka argued that with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) consolidating its Northern base under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Northern ADC candidate would split the opposition vote in the North while leaving the South underrepresented. He warned that failure to zone the ticket South would hand the APC an easy victory in 2027.
The group also responded to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent Arise TV interview, where he reportedly argued that the South had ruled more times than the North since 1999. Oraka countered that Nigeria’s political history should be judged from independence in 1960, not from the Fourth Republic. He presented a breakdown of heads of state and presidents from 1960 to date to support the claim that the North had ruled for significantly more years.
Based on that assessment, Oraka said the South has a stronger moral, democratic, and rotational claim to produce the next president in 2027. He described Atiku’s continued presidential ambition as a distraction to national cohesion and advised him to step aside in the interest of fairness and unity.
On electoral integrity, PETOOP accused INEC under Prof. Amupitan of abandoning its role as an impartial umpire. The group alleged partisan interference in the internal affairs of the ADC, specifically citing INEC’s refusal to recognize the party leadership of Senator David Mark. Oraka said the commission’s job is to register and observe political parties, not to choose factions or anoint leaders.
The group further raised concerns over public statements attributed to the INEC chairman, including a remark that “victory is sure” before any ballots were cast. Oraka said such comments raised doubts about the commission’s neutrality and ability to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
Consequently, PETOOP issued a formal demand for the immediate resignation of Prof. Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman. The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove him if he refuses to step down, and called on the National Assembly to invoke its constitutional powers to restore integrity to the electoral body if necessary.
Oraka closed the briefing by restating PETOOP’s three demands: that the ADC field a Southern presidential candidate, that Atiku Abubakar end his presidential bid, and that the INEC chairman resign. He added that the group would continue to mobilize and monitor developments, stressing that democracy is bigger than one man’s ambition or a compromised umpire.