2027: ‘Let Tinubu run again than field a Southern opponent’ – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned opposition political actors that pushing for the 2027 presidential ticket to be zoned to the South would be self-defeating and could guarantee the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement from his camp, Atiku argued that the strategy of fielding a southern opposition candidate in 2027 is unrealistic, claiming that Nigerian political history offers no precedent for a southern opposition candidate successfully unseating a southern incumbent.

“At the core of the question is: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president?” the statement read. “Nigerian political history offers no precedent for such an outcome. To insist otherwise is to enter the contest already defeated.”

Instead, Atiku’s camp implied that if the opposition insists on zoning to the South, it might be better for them to let Tinubu run again instead of trying to field an opposition candidate from the same region, as this approach would lack the necessary strategic viability to unseat the incumbent.

The statement further criticized the push for Southern zoning, calling it “intellectually dishonest” and a reactionary decision that disregards the realities of the political landscape. “Defeating an incumbent president requires realism, not romanticism; strategy, not sentiment; honesty, not selective memory,” it read. Atiku’s camp urged the opposition to choose between making a symbolic political statement or actually winning power.

On the question of equity, often used by proponents of a southern presidency, Atiku’s camp rejected the argument, noting that by 2027, the South would have held presidential power for 18 years, compared to just 10 years for the North. “It becomes difficult to understand the justice in an argument that seeks to deepen an already existing imbalance under the guise of equity,” the statement said.

Additionally, Atiku’s camp reminded critics of the selective memory of those now calling for southern zoning, pointing out that many of them had previously supported a Southern presidency in 2011 under Goodluck Jonathan despite the North’s rightful expectation. “It is intellectually dishonest for those who supported a Southern presidency in 2011 to now posture as custodians of rotational justice,” the statement added.

While Atiku’s camp affirmed the Southeast’s legitimate aspiration to produce a president, they criticized what they called “transactional political bargaining” or “symbolic tokenism” aimed at serving individual ambitions rather than creating a sustainable, credible path for the region.

“Principles do not become sacred only when they align with personal ambition,” the statement concluded, urging the opposition to build a credible national coalition capable of defeating Tinubu at the polls rather than getting bogged down in divisive debates about zoning.