Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized recent statements from the Presidency, which implied that President Bola Tinubu would remain in office until 2031, according to a report by PUNCH.
The statements has brought significant reaction from Atiku, who was the main opposition candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
The controversy began when George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made divisive comments during a television interview.
Akume advised northern politicians with aspirations for the presidency in 2027 to step back and wait until 2031 and argued that President Tinubu, a southerner, should be given a second term to maintain a balance in regional leadership.
Atiku responded through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, expressing dissatisfaction with the SGF’s position and questioned the fairness of such a stance, pointing out an alleged imbalance in Nigeria’s leadership distribution over the years.
Atiku noted that by 2027, the southern region would have ruled Nigeria for a total of 17 years, compared to only 11 years under northern leadership since the return to democracy in 1999, his gap, he argued, undermines the principle of equity and fairness in the country’s governance.
Additionally, Atiku cast doubt on the Tinubu administration’s performance, suggesting it had not achieved enough to justify a second term and challenged the assumption that Tinubu’s government had demonstrated the kind of progress or competence required to warrant re-election.
“Where, then, does true equity and fairness reside? By the year 2027, the South would have enjoyed 17 years of leadership, eight years under Obasanjo, five years under Jonathan, and four years under Tinubu while the North would have experienced only 11 years, with Yar’Adua serving three and Buhari eight. This resulted in a disparity of six years between the North and South, casting a shadow over the balance of power.”
“In any case, the power to elect and vote out their government lies firmly with the Nigerian people, entrusted to them upon the government’s ability to prove itself worthy of the people’s ballot. But has the Tinubu government demonstrated that it deserves to be re-elected? The answer, alas, is as clear as the heavens themselves. God forbid,” he said.