The Atiku Abubakar Media Office has reacted sharply to the declaration, on Sunday, by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, that those angling for the Presidency in 2027 should freeze their ambition till 2031 as there was no vacancy in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa till then.
Akume made the declaration on a TVC political programme, Politics Today, saying that: “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.”
Facing the former Vice President, Akume said: “If it is the will of God for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to be President of Nigeria, even at the age of 90, he can get it. But he and other northerners eyeing the office now should look beyond 2027.”
But as far as the Atiku camp is concerned, such declaration is balderdash. In a statement by Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, the former VP said that by 2027, the South would have had the Presidency for a cumulative 17 years.
“Where, then, does true equity and fairness reside?” Atiku asked. “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.”
