Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has emphasized the role of Nigerians in determining the nation’s leadership. His statement comes in response to Senator George Akume’s remarks, urging Northern politicians to delay their presidential ambitions until 2031.
Senator Akume, who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made his position known during a television interview. He argued that President Bola Tinubu, a Southerner, should be allowed to complete a second term before power shifts to the North.
“President Tinubu, as a Southerner, should be allowed to have a second term, meaning that those eyeing the presidency from the North in 2027 should look beyond that year by waiting till 2031,” Akume said.
“If it is the will of God for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to be President of Nigeria, even at the age of 90 years, he can get it. But he and other Northerners eyeing the office now should look beyond 2027.”
Responding through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku pointed out what he described as an imbalance in the number of years the North and South have held presidential power. He argued that by 2027, the South will have ruled for 17 years, including eight under Olusegun Obasanjo, five under Goodluck Jonathan, and four under Bola Tinubu.
Atiku stated, “Where, then, does true equity and fairness reside? By the year 2027, the South will have enjoyed 17 years of leadership—eight years under Obasanjo, five years under Jonathan, and four years under Tinubu—while the North will have experienced only 11 years, with Yar’Adua serving three and Buhari eight.
“This results 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.”
