Onanuga blasts Atiku, says Tinubu must complete two terms

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has fired at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his position on zoning ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that his political ambition is disconnected from Nigeria’s power rotation reality.

Onanuga, in a statement on Thursday, argued that President Bola Tinubu should be allowed to complete his constitutionally permitted two terms, insisting that the arrangement aligns with the long-standing North-South power balance that has shaped Nigeria’s political structure since 1999.

He said the zoning principle, though unwritten, has remained a stabilising factor in national politics, stressing that the South must be allowed to complete its turn after former President Muhammadu Buhari, who served eight years from the North.

However, Onanuga’s comments went beyond zoning, as he launched a direct attack on Atiku’s political record and repeated presidential bids.

He accused the former Vice President of consistently disregarding the zoning arrangement when it did not favour him, particularly referencing the 2023 election, which he said was contested against the spirit of rotation following Buhari’s tenure.

“This Atiku will never learn,” Onanuga wrote, describing the former presidential candidate’s position as self-serving and politically inconsistent.

He further argued that Atiku’s 2023 ambition fractured internal consensus within the political space and ultimately resulted in electoral defeat, warning that a repeat of the same strategy in 2027 would end in similar failure.