Atiku Warns Opposition Against Zoning Presidency to the South

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned opposition parties against zoning their 2027 presidential tickets to the South. He argues that such a strategy would essentially hand a second term to President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement released on Monday, May 11, 2026, through his spokesperson Olusola Sanni, Atiku described the recent push for a southern candidate as politically risky.

He believes the opposition coalition must ignore sentiment and focus on winning.

The warning comes just 48 hours after the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) officially zoned its 2027 ticket to the South during its maiden National Convention in Abuja.

Atiku argues that matching a southern challenger against a sitting southern president is a recipe for failure.

“The first and most obvious question is this: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president? Nigerian political history offers no precedent for such an outcome,” Atiku stated.

Historical Imbalance and Democratic Math

Atiku pointed out that by the 2027 general election, the South would have held the presidency for 18 years since the 1999 return to democracy. In contrast, the North has only occupied the seat for roughly 10 years.

He argued that forcing another southern presidency would deepen this existing imbalance. Furthermore, he noted that no incumbent president in Nigeria has ever been defeated by a challenger from the same region.

“No incumbent president has ever been defeated by an opposition challenger from the same geopolitical bloc. To insist otherwise is to enter the contest already defeated,” the statement read.

Atiku also accused some political actors of “intellectual dishonesty” over the rotational presidency debate.

He reminded critics that many currently supporting zoning were the same people who backed Goodluck Jonathan’s southern presidency in 2011.

“It is intellectually dishonest for those who enthusiastically supported a Southern presidency under Goodluck Jonathan in 2011… to now suddenly posture as custodians of rotational justice,” he added.

Strategy Over Sentiment for 2027

While acknowledging the Southeast’s aspiration to produce a president is valid, Atiku warned against what he called “political tokenism.” He urged the opposition to prioritize a strong national coalition.

President Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) is expected to retain its ticket in the South to support the incumbent. Atiku believes the opposition must offer a clear geographic alternative to attract the northern voting bloc.

He insists that defeating an incumbent requires hard realism rather than romantic ideas about equity.

Atiku, who has contested for the presidency six times, has previously proposed a six-year single rotational term to resolve Nigeria’s zoning crises permanently.

“Defeating an incumbent president requires realism, not romanticism; strategy, not sentiment; honesty, not selective memory. The opposition must decide whether its goal is to make an emotional statement or to actually win power,” the statement concluded.

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