APC Chieftain Tells Atiku to Quit 2027 Race, Citing His Past Stance on Zoning

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar

APC Chieftain Tells Atiku to Quit 2027 Race, Citing His Past Stance on Zoning

Osita Okechukwu, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, arguing that his ambition violates Nigeria’s zoning arrangement and reminding him of his past criticism of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s automatic ticket bid.

Okechukwu, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), made the appeal while reacting to comments by the Southern Political Progressive Amalgamation Forum (SPPA), which had advised Atiku to carefully consider his choice of running mate ahead of the 2027 general election. Rejecting the group’s position, Okechukwu argued that the focus should not be on Atiku’s running mate but on preserving the zoning principle, which he said has helped maintain political balance and national unity. According to Okechukwu, pressure from groups promoting Atiku’s ambition contributed to the crisis that weakened the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “It was pressure from self-serving groups such as the Southern Political Progressive Amalgamation Forum that goaded His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to abandon the rotation convention, which led to our sister political party, PDP’s destabilisation,” he said.

The APC chieftain reminded Atiku of comments he made during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan when he defended the zoning principle within the PDP. In 2013, Atiku had strongly opposed a proposal by the PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Tony Anenih, to grant President Jonathan an automatic ticket for the 2015 election. Atiku had described the proposal as a “travesty of democracy” and insisted that the contest should be open to all party members. “My position remains that as far as PDP Constitution is concerned, any attempt to change the party’s rule to favour the President as a sole candidate in the event of his willingness to re-contest is unconstitutional,” Atiku had stated. Okechukwu argued that since Atiku had benefited from the zoning arrangement in the past – having served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007 – he should remain committed to the principle. “As a beneficiary of the zoning arrangement, Atiku should uphold the principle and support its continued application in the interest of national cohesion, equity, and political stability,” Okechukwu stated.

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The call comes as Atiku prepares for what would be his seventh presidential bid, making him one of Nigeria’s longest-serving presidential contenders. He first contested for the presidency under the Action Congress (AC) in 2007, sought but failed to secure the PDP presidential ticket in 2011, lost the APC presidential primary before the 2015 election, and later emerged as the PDP’s presidential candidate in both the 2019 and 2023 elections. In the 2019 election, Atiku was defeated by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Four years later, he mounted another strong challenge but lost to President Bola Tinubu in one of Nigeria’s closest presidential contests. Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku secured 6,984,520 votes and Peter Obi received 6,101,533 votes, making the 2023 election a tightly contested three-way race.

Atiku has since emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election after defeating former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen during the party’s presidential primary in May. Following the primary, Amaechi was named as Atiku’s running mate ahead of the election. The 2027 presidential election has been scheduled for January 16, having been advanced from the previously announced date of February 20. President Bola Tinubu is expected to seek a second term on the platform of the APC, while Peter Obi is contesting on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Asked whether it was too late for Atiku to withdraw from the race, Okechukwu insisted that the former vice president still had time to change course. “It is never too late to make amends; he should be a statesman, and instead of hurling blame and barbs at President Tinubu, he should use the few months left to forge a strong opposition,” he said. The appeal aligns with similar statements from other political figures. Former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje has declared that Atiku lacks the grassroots political structures in Northern Nigeria to defeat President Tinubu in 2027. Okechukwu himself had earlier described Atiku’s 2027 presidential ambition as a “mirage” in the face of Nigeria’s entrenched North-South zoning arrangement. “Zoning remains the irreducible minimum in Nigeria’s power-sharing formula. No amount of foreign image laundering can override a deeply rooted domestic consensus built on equity, fairness, and national cohesion,” he had said.