By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that the power to elect and vote out government lies firmly with the Nigerian people and not any other person.
Atiku made the declaration on Monday in response to the suggestion by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume that he (Atiku) and the North should not contest for the nation’s presidency in 2027.
The former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general election in the country, specifically pointed out that the suggestion by Akume is devoid of equity and fairness.
Atiku, in a tweet by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe on the issue, pointed out that by the year 2027, the South will have enjoyed 17 years of presidency made up of eight years under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, five years under
erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan and four years under incumbent President Bola Tinubu, while the North will have experienced only 11 years, with late President Umatu Musa Yar’Adua serving three and immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari serving eight years.
Atiku stated that this results in a disparity of six years between the North and South, casting a shadow over the balance of power.
According to him, “By the year 2027, the South will have enjoyed 17 years of leadership — eight years under Obasanjo, five years under Jonathan, and four years under Tinubu — while the North will have experienced only 11 years, with Yar’Adua serving three and Buhari eight.
“This results in a disparity of six years between the North and South, casting a shadow over the balance of power.
“Where, then, does true equity and fairness reside?
“In any case, the power to elect and vote out their government lies firmly with the Nigerian people, entrusted to them upon the government’s ability to prove itself worthy of the people’s ballot.
“But has the Tinubu government demonstrated that it deserves to be re-elected? The answer, alas, is as clear as the heavens themselves — God forbid”, he stated.
