Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said he will pursue a constitutional amendment to formalise rotational presidency if elected in the 2027 general election.
Speaking during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme on ARISE Television on Wednesday, Abubakar said codifying power rotation in the constitution would promote equity and long-term political stability in Nigeria.
“If I am president, even if it is the only amendment I can make, I would move towards that,” he stated.
The former presidential candidate noted that while zoning has been practised informally across political parties, only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the principle formally embedded in its constitution.
“The only political party that has zoning in its constitution is the PDP. The rest do not have it. If anything, others are borrowing from the PDP,” he said.
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Abubakar also addressed the historical distribution of presidential power between Nigeria’s regions, arguing that the South has held the office longer than the North.
“The south has governed for 18 years and the north for 10, so who is in the deficit?” he queried.
Reflecting on past constitutional debates, he recalled opposing a proposal by the late Alex Ekwueme to include rotational presidency in the constitution.
According to him, the proposal failed at the time due to lack of support from the majority of delegates, a decision he now regrets.
“In hindsight, I admitted that I made a mistake. I should have supported that amendment,” Abubakar said, adding that such a provision could have ensured a more balanced rotation of power across regions.
He maintained that embedding rotational presidency in the constitution remains the most equitable approach to managing Nigeria’s diverse political landscape.