The Presidency has asked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to abandon any plan to contest the 2027 presidential election, saying it is the turn of the South with respect to Nigeria’s unwritten but established tradition on power rotation arrangement.
In a post on his verified X handle, special adviser to the president on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Atiku’s position, as expressed during a recent television interview, undermines a political convention that has helped stabilise Nigeria’s democracy since 1999.
“This Atiku will never learn,” he said, adding that he intends to “disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement.”
Going on memory lane, Onanuga recalled that during the 2023 election, Atiku ignored the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zoning tradition by contesting to succeed a fellow northerner who had completed two terms in office.
“His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to his resounding defeat at the polls,” Onanuga said.
Saying that Atiku seems determined to “repeat history” in 2027, Onanuga faulted his argument that he is not bound by zoning because the South has held power longer than the North since 1999.
He described Atiku’s position as “dubious political arithmetic,” and pointed out that the imbalance resulted from extraordinary circumstances, particularly the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua in office, which led to the succession of then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Since Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu too must complete his own,” he said.