Former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff has urged ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar to shelve his presidential ambition until 2031, insisting that the South should produce Nigeria’s president in 2027.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Sheriff argued that the unwritten power-sharing arrangement that has guided Nigeria’s leadership since 1999 must not be disrupted. “If Atiku wants to be president, he can wait; he is a leader in Northern Nigeria, he is eminently qualified, but it is not our time now; he has to wait till 2031. That is the time for the North; for now, it is time for the South,” he said.
The APC chieftain explained that rotational presidency was conceived to promote equity and fairness. “After the civil war, our leaders said that there would no longer be this situation in Nigeria; there is a regional agreement. For Atiku, it’s not our time now. He is on his own because it is the turn for the South,” he added.
Sheriff expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would secure a second term in 2027 but cautioned the APC against complacency. He also dismissed the chances of Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), claiming that Northern voters and political figures, including supporters of Rabiu Kwankwaso, were unwilling to back any alliance involving Obi.