Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has said the election of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as president in 2027 would bring an end to Nigeria’s informal rotational presidency arrangement.
Sani made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
He said although Atiku had the constitutional right to contest the 2027 presidential election, political considerations should also be taken into account, particularly the expectation that the South should complete an eight-year presidential tenure before power returns to the North.
According to him, the South should be allowed to contest the 2027 election among itself, with candidates from the region given the opportunity to determine who emerges as president.
“I never said Atiku should not run. Constitutionally, he has the right to run for any election. But what I said was that the southern part of Nigeria should be allowed to have its eight-year tenure in office, just like the way the North has from 2015 to 2023,” Sani said.
He specifically mentioned former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as a possible ADC candidate, while urging the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to field its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to present Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
Sani said the various southern candidates should compete for the presidency in 2027 and that whoever wins should be allowed to serve for four years.
“Let the South struggle it out and see who wins, and for four years. And when the tenure is done by 2031, the North shall have its unchallengeable opportunity to produce leadership of the country,” he said.
The former senator acknowledged that rotational presidency is not expressly provided for in the Nigerian Constitution.
However, he argued that political parties and leaders should consider the arrangement as part of efforts to promote fairness, equity, justice and national stability.
“There are things that are not written in our constitution, but in the interest of justice, fairness, equity, and peace, we need to consider all these things here,” he said.
Sani also argued that the issue should not be determined solely by population or electoral strength.
He noted that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, served two terms between 2015 and 2023, saying the South did not mount what he considered a serious challenge to the continuation of northern leadership during that period.
He stressed that his position was not aimed at stopping Atiku from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
“The constitution has not stopped him from contesting the election. He can contest the election, but for me, that is my position and I’m not backing down on it,” Sani said.
When asked what an Atiku victory in 2027 would mean for the rotational presidency arrangement, Sani said it would effectively bring the practice to an end.
“If Atiku wins, it means that is the end of rotational presidency in Nigeria,” he said.
He added that such an outcome could create resentment in some parts of the South because it would mean that the region had not completed what he described as its expected eight-year tenure.
Sani maintained that allowing a southern candidate to serve for eight years would make it easier for a northern candidate to take over the presidency in 2031 without facing opposition from the South.
“But if we allow the South to have their eight-year term, by 2031, a Northerner takes over, there will be no challenge from Southern part of Nigeria,” he said.
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