The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said the President will complete an eight-year tenure in office, just as his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, did.
Onanuga made this known on Thursday while reacting to recent comments by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on the issue of power rotation between the North and South.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Atiku, during an appearance on Arise TV on Wednesday, had questioned the current balance of power since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.
He argued that the South had held the presidency for a longer period than the North, asking, “The South has governed for 18 years and the North for 10, so who is in the deficit?”
The former presidential candidate also indicated that the 2027 election would be his final attempt at the presidency.
Reacting via a post on 𝕏, Onanuga described Abubakar’s position as “self-serving” and inconsistent with Nigeria’s zoning arrangement.
“Once again, Abubakar Atiku has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement,” he said.
‘Atiku’s Ambition Fractured PDP’
Onanuga further criticised Abubakar for allegedly ignoring the zoning principle of the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2023 presidential election.
“In 2023, as a member of the PDP, a party that, like others, practices zoning, Atiku disregarded the established formula and sought to succeed a fellow northerner, who had spent eight years in office,” he said.
According to him, the decision contributed to internal divisions within the party and its eventual loss at the polls.
“His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to his resounding defeat at the polls. Now, he stands poised to repeat history and face another doom. Another spectacular failure awaits this perennial candidate in the next election,” Onanuga added.
Onanuga also argued that Atiku failed to consider the circumstances that affected the North’s time in office, particularly the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010, which led to the succession of Goodluck Jonathan.
“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the North’s shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, which led to President Jonathan’s succession,” Onanuga said.
“This accidental breach does not invalidate the power rotation arrangement between the North and the South.”
Insisting on the continuation of the zoning arrangement, Onanuga maintained that Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms in office.
“Since Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu too must complete his own,” he said.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Atiku, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007, has contested the presidency multiple times, appearing on the ballot in 2007, 2019, and 2023.