Abuja, NIGERIA – The Presidency has launched a scathing attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of using “dubious political arithmetic” to justify a self-serving attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s North-South power rotation arrangement.
Okay News reports that Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, issued the rebuttal via his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Onanuga’s comments were a direct response to Atiku’s Wednesday interview on Arise TV, where the former Vice President argued he is not bound by zoning because the South has allegedly held power longer than the North since 1999.
Onanuga dismissed Atiku’s reasoning as a “brazenly self-serving twist,” noting that the North’s shorter cumulative tenure was an “accidental breach” caused by the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua. He asserted that the completion of eight years by former President Muhammadu Buhari (a Northerner) necessitated the current South-to-North rotation, meaning the presidency must remain in the South for the full duration of the Tinubu administration.
“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,” Onanuga stated. He further warned that Atiku’s current alignment with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his disregard for the zoning formula would lead to a “repeat of history” and another “spectacular failure” at the polls.
The Presidential aide also took a swipe at the budding opposition coalition, suggesting that Peter Obi should “get ready to bolt away” as Atiku begins to sound like the “presumed ADC candidate.” This war of words underscores the intensifying friction between the Presidency and the opposition following Atiku’s public declaration that 2027 would be his “last outing” in national politics.
