Onanuga faults Atiku over zoning comments, says 2027 still South’s turn

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent remarks on Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement.

In a strongly worded statement, Onanuga accused Atiku of attempting to undermine the established North-South zoning principle ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to him, Atiku ignored the same arrangement in 2023 when he emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate after another northerner had completed eight years in office.

Onanuga argued that the decision contributed to internal divisions within the PDP and ultimately led to Atiku’s defeat at the polls.

He warned that the former Vice President risks repeating the same political error if he contests again in 2027, describing him as a “perennial candidate.”

Reacting to Atiku’s interview on ARISE TV, Onanuga dismissed the claim that the South has spent more years in power since 1999 than the North, calling the argument misleading and self-serving.

He explained that the North’s shorter time in office was largely due to the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which paved the way for then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to assume office.

According to him, that development did not invalidate the broader understanding of rotational presidency between both regions.

“Once again, Abubakar Atiku has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement,” Onanuga said.

He added that with former President Muhammadu Buhari having completed two terms, President Bola Tinubu should also be allowed to complete his own tenure under the same principle.

“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,” he stated.

The exchange adds to the growing national debate over zoning, equity, and power-sharing as political alignments begin to take shape ahead of the next general election.