The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his position on the North-South power rotation ahead of the 2027 general election.
Onanuga maintained that President Tinubu should complete two terms in office, stressing that the presidency ought to remain in the South until 2031.
In a post shared on X on Thursday, the presidential aide said Atiku should abandon any plan to contest again, insisting that the current zoning arrangement favours the South.
He accused the former vice-president of advancing arguments aimed at undermining the informal power-sharing structure in the country.
Onanuga argued that Atiku’s stance on zoning was inconsistent, recalling that the former vice-president contested the 2023 presidential election despite the expectation that power should shift to the South after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the move contributed to internal divisions within the Peoples Democratic Party and affected its performance at the polls.
The presidential aide also faulted Atiku’s position on the duration of leadership between the North and South, describing his claims as misleading.
According to him, the shorter time spent by the North in power since 1999 was due to unforeseen circumstances, including the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua, which led to the succession of Goodluck Jonathan.
Onanuga insisted that such developments did not invalidate the principle of power rotation.
Atiku had, during an interview on Arise Television, dismissed claims of a binding national agreement on zoning, although he expressed support for the principle.
He also indicated openness to a consensus arrangement for the 2027 election, stating that he would support any candidate that emerges through such a process.
