Atiku Abubakar Sparks Zoning Debate: ‘South Has Had More Time In Power

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the North is not disadvantaged when it comes to Nigeria’s democratic power rotation.

He argued that the South has actually spent more years in control of the presidency under civilian rule since Nigeria’s return to democracy.

Atiku made the remarks during an interview on Arise News, where he discussed zoning and fairness in political leadership.

He explained that, based on his assessment, the South has governed for about 18 years while the North has held power for roughly 10 years.

According to him, this should be considered when assessing claims of imbalance in the country’s power-sharing arrangement. He also noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains the only major political party with a formal zoning system embedded in its constitution.

Atiku said, “The South has governed for 18 years and the North for 10. So who is in deficit if you want to be fair? But even if you apply it more broadly, the only party that has zoning entrenched in its constitution is the PDP.”

He also reflected on past constitutional debates during the military era under General Sani Abacha, recalling that he led a group that opposed the inclusion of rotational presidency in the constitution.

He said the proposal, championed by the late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, did not succeed because his side had majority support at the time.

Atiku added that years later, at Ekwueme’s funeral, the late politician acknowledged that his earlier position may not have been the best for Nigeria. He noted that he now believes a rotational arrangement could have helped ensure more equitable power distribution across the country’s regions.