Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, has issued a scathing critique of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following the latter’s recent remarks regarding Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement. In a strongly worded statement, Onanuga accused Atiku of attempting to undermine the established North-South formula to suit his personal political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The presidency’s reaction was triggered by Atiku’s Wednesday interview on Arise TV, where the former Vice President argued that he is not bound by the rotation principle because the South has theoretically held power for more years than the North since 1999. Onanuga dismissed this logic as “dubious arithmetic,” noting that the North’s shorter tenure was a result of the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, an “accidental breach” that does not invalidate the broader agreement.
Onanuga warned that Atiku, whom he labeled a “perennial candidate,” is poised to repeat the strategic blunders that led to his loss in 2023. Regarding the 2023 precedent,
Onanuga recalled that Atiku’s decision to run, attempting to succeed a fellow Northerner after an eight-year term, disregarded the PDP’s own zoning policy, fractured the party, and ultimately led to his defeat.
As for 2027, the presidential aide suggested that history is set to repeat itself, stating that another spectacular failure awaits this candidate in the next election. He emphasized the necessity of the southern turn, noting that because former President Muhammadu Buhari completed an eight-year term for the North, President Bola Tinubu is entitled to complete his own, ensuring that 2027 remains the turn of the South.
He wrote, “Once again, Abubakar Atiku has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement. 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.
“In his interview with Charles Aniagolu on Wednesday, Atiku, now sounding like the presumed ADC candidate (Peter Obi, get ready to bolt away), revisited his 2023 argument on the North-South power rotation.
“In a brazenly self-serving twist, he insisted 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. His political arithmetic is dubious.
“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.”
