Former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, has warned that the principle of rotational presidency in Nigeria would be undermined if the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, wins the 2027 election.
Sani stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, while advocating that political parties should field candidates from the southern part of the country in the 2027 presidential election.
“If Atiku wins, it means that is the end of rotational presidency in Nigeria, and there is going to be hard and bitter feelings from the southern part of Nigeria. I don’t think anyone will like to preside over a country full of hate, animosity, and conflict. Right now, the political system is managing a lot of crises,” he said.
“I don’t think a northerner taking over power here will come in with ease and conveniently to the people in the southern part of Nigeria. But if we allow the South to have their eight years, by 2031, a northerner takes over, there will be no challenge from southern Nigeria. That is my own view.”
Sani, however, acknowledged that the Nigerian Constitution does not bar Atiku or any other northerner from contesting the presidency.
“I never said Atiku should not run. Constitutionally, he has a right to run for any election, but what I said was that a southern part of Nigeria should be allowed to have its eight-year tenure in office, just like the way the North has from 2015 to 2023,” he said.
“The NDC should field Peter Obi, the APM should field Makinde, let the South struggle it out and see who wins for four years. And when the tenure is done by 2031, the North should have its unchallengeable opportunity to produce the leadership of the country.
“You cannot say that because you have the largest electorate and population, so you should continue dominating politics,” Sani said.
Rotational presidency is an informal political arrangement, rather than a constitutional requirement, under which political parties may zone their presidential tickets between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria.
The 2027 presidential contest is expected to feature several prominent candidates, including President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the presidential election for January 16, 2027.
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