Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should not contest the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the South should be allowed to complete an eight-year tenure before power returns to the North.
Sani made the remark in a post on X on Thursday while weighing in on the debate over the rotation of political power between the North and South.
He said the 2027 presidential contest should feature President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Seyi Makinde, Adewole Adebayo, Donald Duke and other southern candidates.
“The 2027 political contest should be between Tinubu, Peter Obi, Sowore, Makinde, Adebayo, Duke and other Southern Candidates,” Sani wrote.
According to the former lawmaker, the principle of power rotation is not a constitutional requirement but should be considered as an equitable political arrangement.
“The South should complete its eight years. It’s not constitutional but it’s equitable,” he said.
Sani added that the North should have what he described as an “unchallengeable right” to the presidency in 2031.
“We should not bury our heads in the sand and deny the realities and complexities of our history,” he said.
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He further warned that politicians who reject the principle of power rotation in 2027 should not expect it to be observed when power is due to return to the North in 2031.
“Those who say there shouldn’t be respect for the principle of Rotation of power in 2027, should know that it WILL NOT be respected in 2031,” Sani said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential election.
Sani’s comments come amid ongoing debate over zoning and the rotation of presidential power ahead of the 2027 election. His position on keeping the 2027 contest to southern candidates was also reported by multiple Nigerian media outlets on Thursday.
