Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to the call for the North not to contest the 2027 presidential election, saying that if President Bola Tinubu is re-elected, it would place the region at a disadvantage in terms of duration of time spent in power.
The call was made by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who appealed to the North to allow President Tinubu, as a Southerner, to complete the eight-year term in office before contesting to succeed him.
Akume made the plea on Sunday while appearing as a guest on TVC News Politics.
But firing back, Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, wondered how there could be equity when the South would have held power for 17 years by the time Tinubu completes his second tenure as against the 11 years of the North.
He said in a post on X on Monday: “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!”
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