Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned opposition political parties against zoning the 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, arguing that such a strategy could strengthen President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term in office.

In a statement released by his camp, Atiku maintained that presenting another southern candidate against a sitting southern president would be politically ineffective and historically unprecedented in Nigeria’s democratic experience.

According to the statement, opposition parties should prioritise building a strong national coalition capable of defeating the ruling government rather than making what it described as symbolic or emotionally driven political calculations.

‘No Historical Precedent’

Atiku’s camp questioned the political viability of a southern opposition candidate defeating an incumbent southern president, insisting that such an approach lacks strategic realism.

“At the core of the question is: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president?” the statement read.

“Nigerian political history offers no precedent for such an outcome. To insist otherwise is to enter the contest already defeated.”

The former vice president’s camp argued that if opposition parties insist on zoning the presidency to the South, they may effectively be handing Tinubu an easier path to re-election in 2027.

According to the statement, defeating an incumbent president requires practical political strategy, national appeal, and broad coalition-building rather than sentimental considerations.

Criticism of Southern Zoning Advocates

The statement also criticised supporters of southern zoning, describing some of their arguments as selective and politically inconsistent.

“Defeating an incumbent president requires realism, not romanticism; strategy, not sentiment; honesty, not selective memory,” the statement added.

Atiku’s camp further challenged opposition figures to decide whether their focus was on winning political power or merely making symbolic political statements ahead of the election.

It stressed that successful opposition politics should be driven by electoral calculations and nationwide alliances rather than regional emotions.

Debate Over Power Rotation

On the issue of fairness and rotational presidency, Atiku’s camp argued that by 2027, Southern Nigeria would have occupied the presidency for a longer period than the North since the return to democracy in 1999.

According to the statement, the South would have held presidential power for 18 years, while the North would have spent approximately 10 years in office during the same democratic period.

“It becomes difficult to understand the justice in an argument that seeks to deepen an already existing imbalance under the guise of equity,” the statement noted.

The camp also accused some advocates of southern presidency of hypocrisy, recalling that several of them supported former President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2011 election despite widespread expectations at the time that power should return to the North.

“It is intellectually dishonest for those who supported a Southern presidency in 2011 to now posture as custodians of rotational justice,” the statement said.

Southeast Presidency and Coalition Politics

While acknowledging the Southeast’s aspiration to produce Nigeria’s president, Atiku’s camp criticised what it described as “transactional political bargaining” and symbolic political arrangements that may not genuinely guarantee power for the region.

The statement warned against moves allegedly designed to satisfy personal ambitions without creating a sustainable and realistic pathway for the Southeast to attain the presidency.

“Principles do not become sacred only when they align with personal ambition,” the statement concluded.

Atiku’s camp ultimately urged opposition parties and political stakeholders to concentrate on building a broad-based national alliance capable of defeating Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election rather than becoming divided by zoning controversies.