Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sounded a note of caution to opposition parties, warning that zoning their 2027 presidential tickets to the South is a “self-defeating” strategy that plays into the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Olusola Sanni, Atiku urged political actors to prioritize “hard electoral arithmetic” over emotional narratives, arguing that the opposition cannot defeat an incumbent Southern president by fielding a challenger from the same region.
Atiku dismissed the insistence on a Southern ticket as “intellectually dishonest,” noting that while the APC may naturally lean toward President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term, the opposition should not blindly follow suit.
How does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president? Nigerian political history offers no precedent for such an outcome,” the statement queried.
He maintained that no incumbent in Nigeria has ever been unseated by a challenger from the same geopolitical bloc, suggesting that adopting such a strategy would be entering the race “already defeated.”
The former Vice President also took aim at the moral arguments surrounding zoning, pointing out a growing disparity in power-sharing between the North and South.
He argued that by 2027, the South would have held the presidency for approximately 18 years in the Fourth Republic, while the North would have held power for roughly 10 years.
Atiku argued that another four years for the South would only widen an already existing imbalance, making it difficult to justify the move under the guise of “equity.”
Atiku pulled no punches regarding political actors who he claims are using zoning as a tool of convenience. He specifically referenced the 2011 transition following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“It is intellectually dishonest for those who enthusiastically supported a Southern presidency under Goodluck Jonathan in 2011… to now suddenly posture as custodians of rotational justice,” the statement read. He stressed that principles should not only become “sacred” when they align with personal ambitions.
While acknowledging that the Southeast has a legitimate claim to the presidency, Atiku warned against “transactional political bargaining” or “symbolic tokenism.” He insisted that the region deserves a “sustainable and credible pathway” to leadership rather than “bespoke arrangements” tailored for individuals.
