Former Borno State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Ali Modu Sheriff has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to put aside any plans to contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigeria's unwritten power-sharing arrangement requires the presidency to remain in the South until 2031.
Speaking on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today, Sheriff said the North would not rally behind Atiku's ambition because the rotational understanding established after the civil war should be respected.
"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," Sheriff said.
He acknowledged Atiku's credentials but maintained that the former vice president should wait until the next power shift.
"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."
Sheriff also expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu would win re-election in 2027, while noting that the APC would still approach the contest with seriousness and not take victory for granted.
The APC chieftain further dismissed the prospects of Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential hopeful, arguing that the former Anambra governor would struggle to attract support from Northern voters.
"I am not worried about Peter Obi at all because I know that Northerners will never vote for Peter Obi," he said.
When reminded that Obi secured significant votes in states including Nasarawa State and Plateau State during the 2023 presidential election, Sheriff insisted that political realities had shifted.
"The situation is different now, you know why? Peter Obi, when he was a governor, chased all the Northerners out of Anambra State," he alleged.
Sheriff also claimed that supporters of former Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano were opposed to any political alliance involving Obi.
"This is what Kano people are telling Kwankwaso now: that we always supported you and we will support you if you run for president, but we will not support you to go with Peter Obi," he said.
Sheriff's remarks come amid growing consultations and political realignments among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general election.
