2027 Race: Is the Vice Presidency Worth the Political Headache

With the 2027 elections getting closer, talk is heating up about who wants what, and more importantly, why. One big question? Whether the role of vice president is still worth all the drama. 

For decades, the vice presidency has served as a balancing act, pairing regions, religions, and ethnic groups to keep Nigeria’s fragile unity intact.

However, as security challenges mount, the economy strains under global pressures, and voters become increasingly demanding, ordinary Nigerians wonder: Can today’s vice president do more than just sit quietly in the background?

Looking Back: How VPs Have Been Chosen

In Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, vice-presidential selections have almost always been strategic exercises in power-balancing. In 1999 and again in 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo chose Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, immediately calming the anxieties of northern elites and offsetting Obasanjo’s southern Yoruba roots. 

In 2007 and 2011, the PDP ticket paired Umaru Musa Yar’Adua with Goodluck Jonathan to mollify the southern governors’ bloc . Jonathan’s eventual succession in 2010 underscored how a carefully chosen VP can pivot to the nation’s top job. 

More recently, in 2015 and 2019, Muhammadu Buhari ran with Yemi Osinbajo, a southern Christian, to project national unity , though their partnership occasionally frayed over policy disagreements. 

These examples illustrate that the vice-presidential selection is far more than ceremonial: it can determine voter confidence, maintain internal party harmony, and even precipitate policy shifts.

Why the 2027 VP Battles Have Begun Already

Zoning and the “Federal Character.” Zoning remains the bedrock of Nigerian electoral politics. With the presidency rotating between North and South , and often between Muslim and Christian , aspiring ticket-makers are already lobbying hard to secure equity among geographies. 

A southern presidential candidate will need a northern vice-presidential pick (and vice versa), and influential governors, senators, and traditional kingmakers are dispatching feelers to potential running-mates to ensure their zones aren’t left out.

Party Cohesion vs. Factionalism. Both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are wrestling with internal reckonings. 

Within the APC, splits between “old guard” stalwarts and newer powerbrokers have triggered early jockeying for VP slots. 

In the PDP, regional chapters have formed consultative councils to vet potential running-mates, wary of a repeat of the 2015 implosion.

National Security and Economic Pressures. Experts note that current security challenges, banditry, farmer-herder clashes, and insurgency have elevated the VP slot from symbolic to substantive.

 “A vice president with a strong security or economic track record could be a vital operational partner to the president,” argues political analyst Aisha Bello of the Centre for Democratic Studies. “Parties know that voters expect readiness from the VP to step in during crises.”

What Ordinary Nigerians Stand to Gain or Lose

On the upside, broader representation is possible when voters expect a vice president chosen for competence rather than merely identity; that person could help deliver services to neglected regions. 

Equally important is policy continuity: a vice president with genuine portfolio influence, such as coordinating federal agencies, can ensure smoother governance transitions.

On the downside, an understaffed or sidelined VP’s office may only amplify feelings of exclusion among certain demographics, and if a vice president lacks genuine legitimacy, a sudden transfer of power (due to illness or impeachment) can spark constitutional crises.

Early Shortlist: Names to Watch

Based on talks with party insiders and Lagos political analysts, these names come up often:

By September 2025, we will see official announcements,” predicts journalist Emeka Okoro. “But right now, networks, endorsements, and polls are already in motion.”

How Parties Can Get It Right

Transparent vetting could build public trust by holding open town halls and publishing clear criteria for VP candidates. 

Prioritising expertise, especially in security and economic management, over mere regional balancing would also send a strong signal that competence matters.

Finally, engaging youth and women by offering the VP slot to a credible under-40 candidate or a female leader could energise apathetic voters.