Since Buhari did eight years, Tinubu must complete his own” – Presidency slams Atiku

The Presidency on Thursday in Nigeria said President Bola Tinubu should be allowed to serve a second term to complete eight years in office, responding to comments made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar about the 2027 election and power rotation.

The statement was made in Abuja by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who reacted after Atiku questioned the idea that it was still the turn of Southern Nigeria to produce the next president in 2027.

Onanuga said the position of the Presidency was based on the long-standing political understanding that power should rotate between the North and the South, noting that former President Muhammadu Buhari from the North had already completed two terms in office before leaving power in 2023.

He explained that since Tinubu, who is from the South, succeeded Buhari, the arrangement should allow him to complete his own two terms as well.

The presidential aide also accused Atiku of going against this pattern in the past, recalling how he contested the presidency in 2023 despite the expectation that power should shift to the South after Buhari’s tenure.

He added that Atiku’s past decisions affected his political party at the time and contributed to internal divisions that weakened its chances during the election.

Onanuga further argued that Atiku’s recent comments showed he was still pushing personal ambition over the widely accepted zoning understanding, insisting that the next election cycle should follow the same pattern that has guided the country’s political balance since 1999.

The discussion comes as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections begin to take shape, with major figures already taking positions on zoning, party alignment, and possible candidacies.

Atiku, who is from Adamawa State in the North, has contested for the presidency several times and was the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the 2023 election, where he finished second behind Tinubu.