According to a report by The Sun on Thursday, April 16, 2026, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has strongly criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent comments on Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement.
The remarks came in response to an interview granted by Atiku on Arise News, where he discussed the history and fairness of presidential power distribution between the northern and southern regions of the country.
Onanuga described the position expressed by the former vice president as misleading and not consistent with the political realities surrounding the country’s zoning tradition.
Atiku Abubakar, during his television appearance, had spoken on the concept of power rotation since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.
He argued that the southern region has held the presidency for a longer period compared to the north, and used this perspective to question claims of imbalance in political representation.
His comments also came in the context of growing political conversations ahead of the 2027 general elections, where issues of zoning and regional balance are already becoming part of public debate among political actors.
In his response, Bayo Onanuga accused Atiku of attempting to weaken the established understanding of the North-South rotation principle.
He argued that the former vice president’s position was influenced by personal political ambition rather than an objective review of the country’s political history.
According to him, the rotation arrangement has served as a stabilising factor in Nigeria’s political environment, and any attempt to reinterpret it could affect ongoing political expectations among different regions.
Onanuga also revisited the 2023 presidential election, where Atiku Abubakar contested as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He stated that Atiku’s decision to contest the presidency after eight years of a northerner in office was inconsistent with the zoning principle within his party.
He suggested that this decision contributed to internal disagreements within the party and affected its cohesion during the election period, which eventually influenced its performance at the polls.
The presidential aide further referenced historical developments in Nigeria’s leadership structure, particularly the transition that followed the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
He noted that the passing of Yar’Adua led to then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan assuming office, which altered the expected rotation sequence between the northern and southern regions.
According to him, this event played a significant role in shaping how subsequent political arrangements and expectations were formed in the years that followed.
Onanuga also maintained that the current presidency under Bola Ahmed Tinubu represents the continuation of the southern turn within the informal power-sharing arrangement.
He argued that respecting this sequence is important for political balance and stability, especially as discussions intensify ahead of future elections.
He stated that the expectation within the political space is that the southern region completes its tenure before any shift in rotation is considered.
He said, “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….See More
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