2027: Atiku’s last presidential run

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s statement that contesting the 2027 presidential election will be his last attempt to hold Nigeria’s highest office did not come as a surprise. Atiku, a presidential candidate for the seventh time on various political party platforms, should be tired by now.

Indeed, political analysts had predicted that Atiku would throw in the towel ahead of the 2027 election cycle, a prediction he debunked, insisting that as long as he remained healthy he would continue to contest the presidency.

Speaking during a television interview on Wednesday, in which he reflected on his decade-long political journey and long-held ambition to lead Nigeria, Atiku said the stakes are significantly higher as he prepares for what would be his eighth run for the presidency.

Asked about his age in the context of his eighth attempt and whether the 2027 race would be his last chance for the presidency or not, Atiku said: “Of course yes. Because the stakes are higher, because I believe it will be my last outing. So, it’s incontrovertible.”

In a swift reaction, however, the presidency advised the former vice president to abandon any thoughts of contesting the 2027 presidential election. He insisted that it is up to the South, under Nigeria’s established power rotation arrangement, to continue producing the president next year.

Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, gave the opinion in a post on his verified X account, where he criticized Atiku’s renewed presidential ambition as a “selfish” move that violates the North-South zoning principle.

According to him, Atiku’s position undermines a political convention that has helped stabilize Nigeria’s democracy since 1999.

“This Atiku will never learn,” accusing him of trying to “disrupt the power rotation arrangement in Nigeria,” Onanuga wrote.

He recalled that during the 2023 election cycle, Atiku, then the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ignored the party’s zoning tradition by contesting to succeed a northern colleague who had completed two terms in office.

That decision, the presidential spokesperson said, led to divisions within the PDP, culminating in Atiku’s defeat at the polls.

“His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to its resounding defeat at the polls,” Onanuga said, adding that the former vice president looks set to “repeat history” in 2027.

He also criticized Atiku’s argument that he is not bound by zoning because, in his view, the South has held power longer than the North since 1999.

Describing the claim as “dubious political arithmetic,” Onanuga argued that the imbalance cited by Atiku was a result of extraordinary circumstances, particularly the death of incumbent former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which led to the succession of then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.

He argued that such an event does not invalidate the informal but widely observed power-sharing agreement between the two regions.

Onanuga stressed that following the completion of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office, it is fitting that President Bola Tinubu, a Southerner, completes his tenure.

“Since Buhari has completed his eight years, Tinubu must also complete his,” he said.

It is instructive that Atiku Abubakar has paid his dues to the socio-political and economic development of his homeland. He served as vice president for eight years under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007 and has attempted to become Nigeria’s president several times since returning to partisan politics in 2003.

He first contested the presidency in 1993 in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) primaries before resigning for the late Moshood Abiola.

He subsequently ran for Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2007, losing to the late President Yar’Adua.

Atiku also competed in 2011 under the ACN, losing to former president Goodluck Jonathan.

He returned to the PDP and contested the 2019 presidential election, where he lost to the late President Buhari.

In 2023, he again emerged as the PDP candidate but lost to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former vice president has consistently positioned himself as a longtime advocate of restructuring, economic liberalization and private-sector-led growth.

With the 2027 election cycle already shaping its first political alignments, Atiku’s latest comment adds to growing speculation about the next phase of Nigeria’s presidential contest.

In this context, Blueprint commends Atiku Abubakar’s determination to end his presidential ambition after the 2027 general elections, particularly in a continent largely ruled by octogenarians.

Nonetheless, in our opinion, after attempting seven unsuccessful shots at the presidency, the former vice president should have taken the honorable path of retiring to play the role of kingmaker.

While the argument that Atiku should respect the North-South zoning principle by abandoning his presidential ambitions in 2027 is pertinent, considering Nigeria’s fragile geopolitical structure, it falls on all fours in the face of constitutional requirements.

The North-South zoning principle is a gentleman’s agreement, which is neither recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) nor legally binding.

Therefore, it is within the constitutional right of the former Vice President to continue to run for any office of his choice, including that of President of Nigeria.