Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has warned that an Atiku Abubakar victory in the 2027 presidential election would mark the collapse of the informal north-south power rotation arrangement that has guided Nigerian politics for decades. Sani made the remarks on Channels Television's Politics Today on Friday, September 25, where he insisted that the South deserved the chance to complete a full eight-year presidential cycle before the North reclaimed the position.
Sani insists South must complete eight-year tenure
Speaking on the programme, Sani clarified that he was not opposing Atiku's candidacy on constitutional grounds, but rather on the basis of the unwritten rotational principle. He said: "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."
The former lawmaker pointed to former President Muhammadu Buhari's two terms between 2015 and 2023 as evidence that the South had respected the rotational understanding, arguing that the North owed the South the same courtesy now that President Bola Tinubu is in office.
Sani names southern candidates for 2027 contest
Sani argued that all major parties should field southern candidates in 2027, naming former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as the names he believed should be in contention. He said: "All the parties; like the ADC now, they're supposed to field Amaechi. That is what's supposed to be. The NDC should field Peter Obi, and the APM should field Makinde. Let the South struggle it out and see who wins, and for four years. When the tenure is done by 2031, the North shall have its unchallengeable opportunity to produce leadership of the country."
Sani acknowledged that the Nigerian Constitution does not contain any provision for rotational presidency, but said political leaders had a responsibility to honour the principle in the spirit of fairness and national cohesion. He stated: "It's very important because we should look at our history where we come from. Some things are not written in our constitution, but in the interest of justice, fairness, equity, and peace, we need to consider all these things here."
Warning over Atiku's potential victory
Sani was direct about what an Atiku win would mean for national politics. He said: "If Atiku wins, it means that is the end of rotational presidency in Nigeria. And there is going to be hard and bitter feelings from the Southwestern part of Nigeria or the Southern part of Nigeria. I don't think anyone would like to preside over a country full of hate, animosity, and conflict."
Sani also cautioned that the political environment was already under strain, and that a northern successor to Tinubu in 2027 would not be welcomed easily across the South. He added: "Right now, the political system is managing a lot of crises. And I don't think a Northerner taking over power here will come in with ease and convenience to the people in the Southern part of Nigeria."
Previous calls for southern-only 2027 race
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Sani publicly called for the 2027 presidential election to be contested exclusively among southern politicians, arguing that equity demands the South be allowed to complete an eight-year cycle in power before the North returns to the presidency. The senator who represented Kaduna Central made the comments in a post on his official X account, naming President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Seyi Makinde, Yusuf Adebayo, and Donald Duke as the candidates the 2027 contest should involve.
