Power Rotation Clash: Atiku Aide Slams Presidency

A sharp political exchange has broken out between the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency following fresh comments on North-South power rotation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga triggered the latest clash after reacting to Atiku’s live interview on Arise TV. Onanuga insisted that President Bola Tinubu must serve a full eight years, arguing that the South should retain the presidency until 2031 after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s two terms from the North.

NaijaChoice News reports that Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, fired back immediately on his X handle @phrankangel. He dismissed Onanuga’s position as unconstitutional, anti-democratic, and driven by fear of a strong opposition.

Shaibu argued that power rotation remains a mere political convention, not a constitutional requirement or a weapon to silence rivals. “No presidential aide has the authority to rewrite the Constitution or reduce democracy to a regional entitlement scheme,” he wrote.

The Atiku aide accused the ruling camp of hypocrisy, noting that the same voices now defending zoning had ignored it within their own party when it suited them. He described the sudden embrace of the arrangement as a “cheap costume” for self-interest.

Shaibu also rejected claims that zoning alone cost Atiku the 2023 election. He pointed instead to alleged state interference, institutional compromise, and electoral irregularities that many Nigerians still remember.

On references to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death, Shaibu called the argument morally bankrupt. He said weaponising a national tragedy in 2026 to justify current political positions shows desperation.

The senior aide took direct aim at suggestions that Tinubu must complete eight years. “Presidents are not crowned for eight years—they are elected, and they can be voted out. That is the essence of democracy,” Shaibu stated.

He further described Onanuga’s remarks on opposition coalition moves, including Peter Obi’s reported ADC links, as signs of panic in the ruling camp. Shaibu insisted that no one needs permission from Aso Rock to build alliances or contest elections.

As the 2027 race gathers momentum, NaijaChoice News notes that the debate over rotation has once again exposed deep divisions in Nigeria’s political landscape. Nigerians, many already grappling with economic hardship, will ultimately decide who leads them at the polls.