Fresh Political Clash As Onanuga Dismisses Atiku’s 2027 Ambition

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his renewed interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election.

Onanuga accused Atiku of pursuing personal political ambition while disregarding Nigeria’s informal zoning and power rotation arrangement, which he said favours a southern presidency after the current administration.

He argued that Atiku has consistently opposed zoning principles in past elections, a trend he claimed contributed to internal crises within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to him, Atiku’s continued presidential aspirations could also destabilise the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he is reportedly aligning politically ahead of 2027.

Onanuga further predicted that Atiku would suffer another electoral defeat, describing him as someone unwilling to learn from past political outcomes.

In a post on , he wrote that Atiku’s arguments were self-serving and aimed at undermining the agreed power rotation structure in the country.

He recalled that in the 2023 election, Atiku contested against the zoning expectation within his party and ended up losing, which he said weakened the PDP’s cohesion.

Onanuga maintained that since President Bola Tinubu is currently serving a southern term, fairness requires that he be allowed to complete his eight-year tenure before power shifts back to the North.

He also dismissed Atiku’s claim that the South has held power longer since 1999, describing the argument as misleading political arithmetic.

According to him, the North’s shorter tenure was influenced by the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which he said does not invalidate the informal rotation agreement between regions.