He Refuses To Learn’ – Onanuga Slams Atiku Over 2027 Presidential Ambition

According to Ireporter Online, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his renewed interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election, accusing him of pursuing personal ambition at the expense of Nigeria’s power rotation principle.

Onanuga argued that Atiku’s position disregards the informal zoning arrangement that encourages a balance of power between the North and South, insisting that the South should be allowed to complete its turn in office under President Bola Tinubu before power returns to the North. He further maintained that Atiku’s repeated presidential bids have historically ignored zoning considerations, referencing the 2023 election in which Atiku, despite being in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested against the party’s rotational understanding, a move he said contributed to internal division within the party and culminated in his defeat.

Reacting to Atiku’s recent interview on Arise News, where the former Vice President described zoning as flawed and argued that the South has held the presidency longer than the North since 1999, Onanuga dismissed the claim as “dubious political arithmetic.” He noted that Atiku’s argument failed to consider the political circumstances surrounding the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s tenure and the subsequent succession by former President Goodluck Jonathan, which he described as an “accidental disruption” of the arrangement rather than a permanent shift.

Onanuga also warned that Atiku’s latest political stance could create similar divisions within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while predicting that the former Vice President would again be defeated if he proceeds with another presidential bid. He described Atiku as a “perennial candidate” who, according to him, refuses to adjust his political strategy despite repeated electoral losses.

Atiku has not responded directly to Onanuga’s latest remarks at the time of filing this report.