Chief Lucky Igbinedion, former Edo State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, declared that Nigeria’s presidency should remain in the South until 2031 to ensure equity, following the North’s eight-year tenure under Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023, as stated during a condolence visit to former Senate Chief Whip Senator Rowland Owie in Benin City, reported by Daily Post, The Nation, Punch, and Leadership. Igbinedion, who led a PDP delegation including former Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Ikimi and state chairman Tony Aziegbemi to mourn the death of Owie’s wife, Lady Helen Owie, emphasized supporting a Southern PDP candidate in the 2027 presidential election, saying, “It is not ideal for Northerners to be agitating to be the president of Nigeria in 2027. They should wait till 2031, but I will support PDP’s presidential candidate from the South in 2027, who will be in office till 2031,” per The Nation and Punch.
Igbinedion, a member of the ‘Class of 1999′ WhatsApp group of former governors, including President Bola Tinubu, dismissed concerns over defections from PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), such as Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s switch on April 23, 2025. He described defections as characteristic of Nigerian politicians, predicting a return to PDP or other parties, stating, “I don’t worry so much about the defections because I know Nigerian politicians, they swing from one side to the other… The APC is having its turn now, but they will be deflated sooner or later,” per Leadership and Naija News. He recalled PDP’s past dominance with the most governors, suggesting a cyclical political shift, per Blueprint and Politics Nigeria.
The condolence visit honored Lady Helen Owie, who died on April 9, 2025, at 71 after a brief illness, leaving Senator Owie, her husband of over 50 years, children, and grandchildren, per Leadership. Igbinedion praised Owie’s resilience, saying, “To be married for fifty years is not a joke. To lose a life partner can be very saddening. We came to condole with him and wish continuous God’s strength,” per Daily Post. Owie, in a statement, described Helen as a devoted Catholic and unifying figure, per Leadership.
Igbinedion’s stance aligns with calls for a Southern-led coalition to challenge Tinubu in 2027, as echoed by former LP spokesperson Kenneth Okonkwo, though he remains loyal to PDP since 1998, per TheCable. X posts from @TheNationNews on April 30 and May 1 amplified his equity argument, reflecting sentiment for regional balance amid fears of a one-party state, per The Nation. His optimism about PDP’s resurgence contrasts with challenges, including internal crises and defections, but underscores a belief in Nigeria’s fluid political landscape, per Naija News and Punch.
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