The Presidency has issued a sharp response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent remarks on Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement, warning him against pursuing another presidential bid in 2027.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused Atiku of attempting to undermine the long-standing North-South zoning principle ahead of the next general election.
Onanuga argued that Atiku’s stance mirrors his actions during the 2023 election cycle, when he contested as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate despite internal expectations that power should shift to the South after the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him, that decision deepened divisions within the party and contributed to its electoral loss.
Reacting to Atiku’s interview on Arise TV, Onanuga dismissed the former Vice President’s claim that the South has held power longer than the North since 1999, describing the argument as misleading and self-serving.
He noted that the North’s shorter time in office was largely due to the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010, which led to the constitutional succession of Goodluck Jonathan.
The presidential aide maintained that this circumstance does not invalidate the zoning arrangement, insisting that the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is entitled to complete its tenure as part of the rotational balance.
Onanuga further cautioned Atiku against what he described as a repeat of past political miscalculations, labeling him a “serial contender” and predicting another defeat if he joins the 2027 race.
He urged the former Vice President to abandon any renewed ambition and respect the existing power-sharing framework, stressing that it remains the South’s turn to produce the next president.
