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Presidency mocks Atiku over 2027 ambition, calls him serial loser, advises Obi to leave ADC
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The Presidency has dismissed ex- Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his renewed declaration to contest the 2027 presidential election, describing his ambition as a recurring political miscalculation that will end in defeat.
Recall that Atiku, in a recent interview with said the 2027 general election would mark his final attempt at the presidency.
However, the Presidency, speaking through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, ridiculed the former vice president’s chances, insisting he was likely to “repeat history” and suffer another electoral loss.
Reacting through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency argued that Atiku’s political trajectory shows a pattern that has repeatedly ended in defeat.
“This Atiku will never learn,” Onanuga said.
He further accused the former vice president of attempting to undermine the informal zoning and rotation understanding between Nigeria’s North and South, which has long influenced presidential politics.
Once again, Abubakar Atiku has put forward a self-serving argument to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement,” Onanuga stated. “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. His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to his resounding defeat at the polls.”
The Presidency also predicted another electoral loss should Atiku proceed with his 2027 ambition.
“Now, he stands poised to repeat history and face another doom. Another spectacular failure awaits this perennial candidate in the next election,” he added.
Onanuga also referenced Atiku’s recent interview, where the former vice president reiterated his stance on North-South rotation, insisting that the South has held power for longer periods since 1999.
According to him, Atiku’s argument ignored key historical context, particularly the circumstances surrounding the transition following the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which led to former President Goodluck Jonathan completing the tenure.
“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.”
Reaffirming the Presidency’s position on zoning, he maintained that the South should retain the presidency through 2027.
Since Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu too must complete his own. All Atiku needs to do is to bury the thought of running again, as it is still the South’s turn in the 2027 election,” he concluded.
Onanuga also made a remark directed at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, suggesting he distance himself from speculation linking him to a possible coalition arrangement involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following Atiku’s renewed political positioning.
The Defence Headquarters has clarified the recent public discussions surrounding the neutralisation of a prominent terrorist commander, Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki.
A collaborative operation with the United States Africa Command on May 16, 2026, led to the killing of Bilal Al-Minuki.
Following the development, certain media outlets referenced a similar operation from 2024, which involved the elimination of a terrorist commander with the same name.
This has understandably raised questions regarding the identity of the individual who was recently neutralised.
In a statement signed by Somalia Uba, Director of Defence Information, the DHQ said: “It is crucial to note that in the North East region and throughout the Lake Chad Basin, the use of similar or identical names, aliases and nom de guerres is prevalent among ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists.
“This practice is a deliberate part of their indoctrination strategy, aimed at obscuring identities. This fact has been corroborated over the years during counter-terrorism operations in Northeast Nigeria.
“The Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki who was eliminated on May 16, 2026, has been positively identified through human intelligence and technical surveillance as a senior global operative within the Islamic State network, possessing direct connections to international terrorist coordination, funding and operations across the Sahel. Thus, there is no ambiguity regarding his identity.”
The statement added that the strike represents a significant achievement in the country’s counter-terrorism initiatives.
It said the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with the United States, remain dedicated to dismantling terrorist networks and will continue to disseminate verified information through official channels.
It called on the general public and the media to rely solely on authorised sources to prevent confusion arising from coincidental name similarities.
Three aspirants of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who were anointed as consensus candidates by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State for House of Representatives seats have been disqualified by the party.
The three aspirants endorsed by Aiyedatiwa, who have been screened out, were identified as Tajudeen Adefisoye (Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency), Victor Ategbole (Akoko South-East/South-West federal constituency) and Samuel Arowele (Owo/Ose federal constituency).
Others not cleared along with the governor’s preferred aspirants are Seun Ajongbolo (Akoko South-East/South-West federal constituency), Morufu Ibrahim, Oyeniyi Oseni ((Akoko North-East/North-West) and Olaleye Adedipe (Akoko North-East/North-West).
With the reasons for the disqualification of the aspirants not revealed in a statement issued on Saturday by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, some aspirants in the state have kicked and condemned the endorsement of the anointed aspirants.
Meanwhile, there was large turnout of APC members on Saturday during the direct primaries conducted across the 203 wards of the state.
In Akur metropolis, party members arrived at the designated wards in their numbers around 8:00 am with the officials of the party doing a headcount of everyone.
At Wards 4, 5, and 8, members of the party were seen queuing behind the poster of the aspirants they are supporting.
Meanwhile, there was an uproar in some of the wards as party faithful lamented that electoral officials were not on the ground to take record of the exercise.
Six suspected Islamic State West Africa Province members, including a bomb expert, were killed early Friday when an improvised explosive device detonated prematurely in Marte Local Government Area.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the blast occurred around 7:00 a.m. on May 16, 2026, at Jubilaram while the group was assembling the device. The team was led by Abu Umar, identified as a bomb expert, who died in the explosion along with five other militants. Three others were reportedly injured.
Intelligence assessments say the deceased were part of ISWAP’s IED cell operating along the Marte–Kerenoa–Wulgo axis in the Lake Chad Basin. The explosion destroyed the site, located between Arinna Maimasallaci and Arinna Ciki, and is expected to temporarily disrupt the group’s bomb-making operations in the area.
Military sources said the incident could weaken ISWAP’s capability along key routes in the Marte axis. Authorities are considering follow-up air and ground operations to exploit the disruption.
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