Atiku Has No Business Contesting 2027 Presidency – Adamawa Governor Insists

Adamawa State Governor Umaru Fintiri has warned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other northerners against contesting the 2027 presidential election, insisting that it is the turn of the South.

While maintaining that the presidency should remain in the southern part of the country in 2027, he argued that the South deserves to complete eight years in line with Nigeria’s long-standing power-sharing arrangement.

Speaking on Tuesday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the governor pointed out that although zoning is not provided for in the Constitution, it remains important for national unity.

“A northerner has no business at the moment vying for the office of the president,” Fintiri said.

“It is the South’s turn; they should complete their eight years if we are really serious about this country and leadership,” he added.

President Bola Tinubu, who is from the South, is serving his first term after succeeding former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

On his relationship with Atiku, Fintiri said it remains cordial despite his recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said, “I still do. There is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political path. I am in the APC today; they are in another party.”

The governor defended his defection, saying, “The move was purely in the interest of the people and the state… because for long, it has not been about winning elections but about aligning and getting more for our people.”

Atiku, who is also from Adamawa State, is seeking the presidency ahead of the 2027 general election and is now working with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Fintiri is serving his second and final term in office.