Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency of attempting to subvert democratic principles and silence opposition voices ahead of 2027 general elections.
Phrank Shaibu, spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, made this known in a statement on X on Thursday.
Recall that a presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who, while reacting to a live interview granted by Atiku Abubakar on Arise TV, insisted that President Tinubu “must complete eight years” in office in line with the North-South power rotation arrangement.
Onanuga had argued that having succeeded a northern president who served two terms, it is now the South’s turn to retain power until 2031—an assertion that has since sparked a fierce backlash from opposition figures who describe it as unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic.
In response, Atiku’s spokesperson, Shaibu, wrote: “Dear @aonanuga1956, let me tell you clearly: no presidential aide, no matter how loud or reckless, has the authority to rewrite the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or reduce democracy to a regional entitlement scheme. Power rotation is a political convention, not a constitutional decree and certainly not a tool to silence credible opposition.
“This tired attempt to bully @atiku out of the race reeks of fear, not principle. The same people who shredded zoning within their own party when it suited them now pretend to be its custodians. Hypocrisy has never worn such a cheap costume,” he stated.
2027: You don’t own Nigeria—Atiku replies to Tinubu’s presidency