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.
