Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has warned that an Atiku Abubakar victory in the 2027 presidential election could mark the end of Nigeria’s informal arrangement of rotating political power between the North and South.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Sani maintained that Atiku has every constitutional right to contest the election but argued that the South should be allowed to complete an eight-year presidential cycle before power returns to the North.
According to Sani, the principle of rotation may not be recognised by the Nigerian Constitution, but it remains an important political consideration for maintaining fairness, equity and national unity.
He said President Bola Tinubu’s administration should be allowed to complete its expected eight-year tenure before political power shifts back to the North in 2031.
Sani argued that southern politicians should be allowed to compete among themselves in 2027, rather than having a northern candidate succeed Tinubu.
He suggested that southern aspirants across political parties should contest the election and allow voters to determine who emerges president for the next four years.
The former lawmaker said the North had already benefited from an eight-year presidency under former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023, adding that the South did not mount a serious political challenge to Buhari’s tenure during that period.
Sani stressed that his position should not be interpreted as a call for Atiku to withdraw from the race.
He said the Constitution guarantees Atiku’s right to contest, but maintained that political actors should also consider the unwritten principle of power rotation when making decisions about the 2027 election.
According to him, an Atiku victory would have wider political implications beyond the outcome of the election, potentially signalling the collapse of the informal North-South rotation that has influenced Nigeria’s presidential politics.
Sani also warned that such a development could deepen political tensions in parts of the South, particularly if a northern candidate succeeds Tinubu in 2027.
He argued that Nigeria’s political system is already dealing with several challenges and that a change in the direction of presidential power could generate further tensions if not carefully managed.
