Shehu Sani Says An Atiku Win Would End Rotation
Kaduna · Saturday 26 September 2026
Shehu Sani, the former senator from Kaduna, has said that an Atiku Abubakar victory in 2027 would end Nigeria's informal rotation of the presidency between North and South. He said Atiku has a constitutional right to contest, but that political considerations should also shape the direction of the election.
The unwritten rule
Nothing in the constitution requires the presidency to alternate between the regions. The convention grew up after 1999 as a way to hold a divided federation together, and every major party has at some point bent it or broken it when it suited them.
| Period | President | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 to 2007 | Olusegun Obasanjo | South |
| 2007 to 2010 | Umaru Musa Yar'Adua | North |
| 2010 to 2015 | Goodluck Jonathan | South |
| 2015 to 2023 | Muhammadu Buhari | North |
| 2023 to now | Bola Tinubu | South |
Sani's argument is that the South is owed a second term on this pattern.
Rotation keeps the peace between regions. It also tells voters that where a candidate was born matters more than what he would do.
What voters actually weigh
Past results suggest regional loyalty remains powerful but not decisive when the economy is bad enough. The 2027 contest will test whether rotation is still a rule Nigerian voters enforce or a rule politicians invoke when it helps them, and Sani, who has changed parties more than once, knows both uses of it well.
Reporting: Vanguard, Punch Newspapers and Tribune Online.
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