Media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has responded sharply to comments from the Presidency, insisting that the outcome of the 2027 presidential election will be determined solely by Nigerian voters and not political power arrangements.
Ibe was reacting to remarks credited to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who argued that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms in office in line with an alleged political tradition following former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
In his response on social media, Ibe rejected the idea that any individual or group could impose electoral outcomes on Nigerians, stressing that citizens remain the ultimate decision-makers in a democracy.
He argued that voters in 2027 would assess the government based on performance, accountability, and delivery of promises, rather than political negotiations or elite agreements.
Ibe also emphasised that no administration can pressure or influence the electorate into supporting its preferred outcome, adding that Nigerians would freely determine their next leader at the ballot box.
The exchange follows earlier comments by Atiku Abubakar during a television interview, where he questioned the fairness of rotational presidency claims and argued that political zoning remains an internal party arrangement rather than a constitutional rule.
Atiku noted that since 1999, both northern and southern Nigeria have shared power at different intervals, suggesting that arguments around rotational balance are often interpreted selectively.
In response, Onanuga dismissed Atiku’s position, insisting that political stability requires respect for an informal rotation pattern between the North and South, and argued that the South should retain the presidency after Buhari’s two-term administration.
He further accused Atiku of inconsistency in his political stance over the years, referencing past elections where zoning arrangements within the opposition party were allegedly disregarded.
The debate continues to fuel political tension ahead of the 2027 elections, with both sides holding firm to opposing interpretations of Nigeria’s power-sharing tradition.