President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday took a swipe at the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, over his recent comments on Nigeria’s North-South power rotation principle.
Onanuga in a social media post accused Atiku of advancing what he described as a self-serving argument aimed at justifying his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, was criticised for contesting after eight years of northern presidency under the late former Muhammadu Buhari.
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Referencing Atiku’s recent interview with journalist Charles Aniagolu, Onanuga said the former vice president was attempting to reinterpret the zoning arrangement to suit his personal interests.
“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,” Onanuga said.
Atiku had argued that he was not bound by the rotation principle, claiming the South had cumulatively held power longer than the North since 1999.
However, Onanuga dismissed this position as flawed, noting that the North’s shorter tenure was largely due to the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010, which led to the succession of Goodluck Jonathan.
According to him, this unforeseen development does not invalidate the long-standing power rotation arrangement designed to promote national balance and inclusivity.
He maintained that following the completion of Buhari’s two terms, power rightfully returned to the South with the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, and should remain there through the next electoral cycle.
Onanuga further suggested that any attempt to disrupt the rotational understanding ahead of 2027 could deepen political divisions and undermine party stability.
