Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, has described the position of Atiku Abubakar on rotational presidency as self-serving.
Onanuga made the remark in an X post on Thursday while reacting to comments by Atiku during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, where the former vice-president argued that there is no basis for power to remain in the south.
Atiku had said that since the return to democracy in 1999, southern Nigeria has held the presidency for a longer period than the north, and therefore should not insist on retaining power ahead of the 2027 election.
Responding, Onanuga said Atiku’s position ignores established zoning arrangements and appears aimed at justifying his political ambition.
“This Atiku will never learn. Once again, he has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement,” Onanuga said.
He recalled that Atiku, as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, contested the presidency despite the party’s zoning principle, which he said contributed to internal divisions and electoral defeat.
According to Onanuga, Atiku’s calculation that the south has held power longer than the north is flawed.
He argued that the north’s shorter tenure was due to the death of former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which led to the succession of Goodluck Jonathan.
“That accidental breach does not invalidate the power rotation arrangement between the north and the south,” he said.
Onanuga maintained that having completed eight years under former president Muhammadu Buhari, power should remain in the south for the completion of Tinubu’s tenure.
He advised Atiku to drop any ambition of contesting again, insisting that it remains the south’s turn to produce the president in 2027.
The debate over power rotation has resurfaced ahead of the next general election, with political actors divided over whether zoning arrangements should continue to guide presidential contests.
