- Safiu Kehinde
The Presidency has urged former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to shelve his idea of contesting for the 2027 Presidential Election, warning of potential of history with another defeat at the polls.
NPO Reported that Atiku had, in an interview on the Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Wednesday, reaffirmed his interest in the presidency.
The ex-Vice President expressed optimism in securing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket for his one last presidential bid.
Reacting in a statement issued on his X handle on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, ruled out Atiku’s chances at the election.
Onanuga accused the ex-vice president of attempting to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement.
He alleged that Atiku’s insistence on same ambition in 2023 led to the fracture of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“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.” Onanuga stated.
Reacting to Atiku’s claim of the South having longer tenure that the North in the power rotation formula, the Presidential spokesperson labelled his claim a self-serving twist.
Onanuga attributed the lapses to the death of former Nigerian President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, who died while in office.
“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.” He held.
Onanuga however noted that the lapse does not invalidate the current power rotation structure.
He charged Atiku to bury his thoughts, charging that President Bola Tinubu will see through his eight years tenure.
“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.” He added.