Presidential aide criticizes Atiku Abubakar over 2027 power rotation comments

Onanuga stated that President Bola Tinubu should complete two terms, insisting the South should retain the presidency until 2031, arguing that since former President Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu should also complete his. He advised Atiku to abandon thoughts of running in 2027, as it is still the South's turn. Onanuga accused Atiku of a "self-serving argument" to disrupt Nigeria's informal zoning arrangement, recalling that Atiku's 2023 ambition fractured the PDP.

Atiku, in an interview on Arise TV, dismissed claims of a binding national agreement on zoning, noting that only the PDP has a zoning provision in its constitution. While supporting the principle of rotation, Atiku argued that the South has governed longer than the North since 1999, with 18 years compared to the North's 10. He also expressed support for a consensus candidate for the 2027 election, indicating it would likely be his final presidential attempt.

Onanuga called Atiku's political arithmetic "dubious," stating that the North's shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, which led to President Goodluck Jonathan's succession, and that this does not invalidate the power rotation arrangement.