The Presidency has slammed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for trying to justify his attempt to disrupt Nigeria’s power rotation arrangement that will see President Bola Tinubu complete eight years in office.

This was after Atiku appeared on Arise TV Prime Time on Wednesday night, where he stated that the Southern part of Nigeria has governed the country for 18 years, while the North has done so for 10 years.

“So, who’s in a deficit if we’re being fair?” Atiku asked when made aware of the zoning agreement observed by most political parties.

The former VP also stated that the argument on zoning is an error, stressing that only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) practices zoning.

Reacting, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that Atiku has yet to learn from history.

He recalled that in 2023, as a member of the PDP—a party that, like others, practices zoning—Atiku disregarded the established formula and sought to succeed a fellow northerner, who had spent eight years in office. “His ambition fractured the PDP, leading to his resounding defeat at the polls,” Onanuga said.

“Now, he stands poised to repeat history and face another doom. Another spectacular failure awaits this perennial candidate in the next election.”

Onanuga stated that Atiku’s Arise TV interview had him sounding like the presumed candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The presidential spokesperson warned presidential hopeful Peter Obi to get ready to bolt away as a result of Atiku’s stance.

Onanuga slammed Atiku, accusing him of issuing dubious political arithmetic when he insisted that he is not bound by the rotation formula because, according to him, the South has spent more years in office than the North since 1999.

“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the North’s shorter tenure was due to the untimely death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, which led to President Jonathan’s succession. This accidental breach does not invalidate the power rotation arrangement between the North and the South. Since Buhari completed his eight years, Tinubu too must complete his own. All Atiku needs to do is to bury the thought of running again, as it is still the South’s turn in the 2027 election,” Onanuga said.