2027: Atiku should wait, Peter Obi won’t get Northern votes – Ex-Borno gov Sheriff

Former Borno State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Ali Modu Sheriff, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to suspend his 2027 presidential ambition, insisting that it remains the South’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president.

Sheriff made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he argued that an unwritten power-sharing arrangement among Nigeria’s political leaders requires that the presidency remain in the South until 2031.

According to him, the understanding, reached after the Nigerian civil war, was designed to preserve national unity through regional balance in leadership.

> “After the civil war our leaders have said that there will no longer be this situation in Nigeria, there is a regional agreement. For Atiku, it’s not our time now. He is on his own because it is the turn for the South. Buhari just finished eight years,” Sheriff said.

He maintained that although Atiku remains a respected political figure and is qualified to lead the country, he should wait until 2031 before seeking the presidency.

> “If Atiku wants to be president he can wait. He is a leader in Northern Nigeria, he is eminently qualified but it is not our time now. He has to wait till 2031. That is the time for the North, for now, it is time for the South,” he added.

Sheriff also expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would secure a second term in office in the 2027 general election, while stressing that the APC would continue to work hard ahead of the polls.

The former governor also dismissed the chances of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, claiming the former Anambra State governor would not enjoy significant support in Northern Nigeria.

> “I am not worried about Peter Obi at all because I know that Northerners will never vote for Peter Obi,” he said.

When reminded that Obi won substantial votes in states such as Nasarawa and Plateau during the 2023 presidential election, Sheriff insisted the political situation had changed.

He further alleged that Obi’s tenure as Governor of Anambra State left many Northerners dissatisfied.

> “The situation is different now. Peter Obi, when he was a governor, chased all the Northerners out of Anambra State,” Sheriff alleged.

He also claimed that supporters of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso were opposed to any political alliance involving Obi.

> “This is what Kano people are telling Kwankwaso now, that we always supported you and we will support you if you run for president but we will not support you to go with Peter Obi,” he said.

Sheriff’s remarks come as political consultations and realignments continue to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election.