The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent comments on Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a strongly worded statement, Onanuga accused Atiku of attempting to undermine the country’s North-South power rotation principle and warned that the former presidential candidate risks repeating the same political mistake that contributed to his defeat in the 2023 election.
Onanuga recalled that in 2023, Atiku, who contested under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, sought to succeed a fellow northerner after eight years in office, a move he said contributed to the internal crisis within the party.
According to him, the development fractured the party and ultimately resulted in Atiku’s loss at the polls.
The presidential aide was reacting to comments made by Atiku during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, where the former Vice President argued that he should not be bound by the North-South rotation arrangement.
Onanuga described Atiku’s argument that the South has spent more years in power since 1999 as 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 in 2010, which led to the succession of then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Once again, Abubakar Atiku has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement,” Onanuga said.
“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.”
He added that the move fractured the party and led to Atiku’s defeat in the presidential election.
“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,” Onanuga said.
The presidential aide further insisted that the rotation arrangement remains valid and should be respected.
“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the North’s shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President 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,” he stated.
Onanuga maintained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who assumed office in 2023 after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, should be allowed to complete two terms.
“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 said.