The Presidency has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of trying to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement that is expected to see President Bola Tinubu complete eight years in office.
This was after Atiku appeared on Arise TV Prime Time on Wednesday night, where he stated that the Southern part of Nigeria has governed the country for 18 years, while the North has done so for 10 years.
“So, who’s in a deficit if we’re being fair?” Atiku asked when made aware of the zoning agreement observed by most political parties.
The former VP, who disclosed that 2027 will be his last shot at Nigeria’s top job, insisted that the argument on zoning is erroneous because only the Peoples Democratic Party practiced zoning.
Responding in a statement issued on Thursday, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, observed that the said television appearance had Atiku sounding like the presumed candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He therefore advised presidential hopeful Peter Obi to get ready to bolt away from the party as a result of Atiku’s obstinate stance.
Pointing out that the former vice president has yet to learn from history, Onanuga recalled that in 2023, as a member of the PDP—a party that, like others, practices zoning—Atiku disregarded the established formula and sought to succeed a fellow northerner, who had spent eight years in office.
“His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to his resounding defeat at the polls. Now, he stands poised to repeat history and face another doom. Another spectacular failure awaits this perennial candidate in the next election,” he said.
The presidential spokesman accused Atiku of relying on dubious political arithmetic when he insisted that he is not bound by the rotation formula because, according to him, the South has spent more years in office than the North since 1999.
“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the North’s shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, which led to President Jonathan’s succession.
“This accidental breach does not invalidate the power rotation arrangement between the North and the South. Since Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu too must complete his own. All Atiku needs to do is to bury the thought of running again, as it is still the South’s turn in the 2027 election,” Onanuga said.
