Atiku says North is not disadvantaged in democratic leadership...

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the North is not in a deficit when it comes to Nigeria’s democratic leadership, arguing that the South has actually spent more years in power under civilian rule.

CBI News reports that he made the statement during an interview on Arise TV, where he discussed zoning, fairness, and regional balance in political leadership.

Atiku explained that since Nigeria returned to democracy, the South has governed for about 18 years, while the North has held power for about 10 years.

According to him, this imbalance should be considered when assessing claims about which region has benefited more from the country’s power-sharing arrangement.

“The South has governed for 18 years and the North for 10. So who is in deficit if you want to be fair? But even if you apply it more broadly, the only party that has zoning entrenched in its constitution is the PDP,” he said.

He also stated that the Peoples Democratic Party remains the only major political party with zoning formally embedded in its rules.

Atiku further recalled discussions during the military era constitutional conference under General Sani Abacha, where he led a group that opposed the inclusion of rotational presidency in the constitution.

He said the proposal, supported by the late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, did not succeed at the time due to majority opposition from delegates.

He added that years later, during Ekwueme’s funeral, the late vice president acknowledged that his position at the time may not have been ideal for the country.

Atiku said he now believes that if rotational presidency had been adopted earlier, it could have ensured a more balanced distribution of the presidency across Nigeria’s regions.