A former Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, has advised a former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to shelve his 2027 presidential ambition, insisting that it is still the South’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president.
Sheriff, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, stated this on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he argued that the North would not support Atiku’s bid because of an unwritten power-sharing arrangement among Nigeria’s political leaders.
According to him, the understanding reached after the civil war was aimed at ensuring regional balance in the country’s leadership.
“After the civil war our leaders have said that there will 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. Buhari just finished 8 years.
“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 stated.
The former governor expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would secure a second term in office in 2027, although he stressed that the APC would not be complacent ahead of the election.
Sheriff also dismissed the presidential ambition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Peter Obi, saying the former Anambra State governor would not enjoy support from Northern voters.
