LAGOS, Nigeria — Former Borno State Governor and All Progressives Congress chieftain, Ali Modu Sheriff, stated on Monday, July 6, 2026, that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar must drop his 2027 presidential ambitions because Nigeria’s unwritten power-sharing arrangement requires the region to wait until 2031.
Golden Info reports that Sheriff made the comments during a live broadcast of the Channels Television political programme, Politics Today. He stated that political leaders established a regional balance agreement after the Nigerian civil war to alternate leadership between the North and the South.
“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 added that while Atiku is an eminently qualified leader within Northern Nigeria, the region must wait until 2031 before seeking the presidency again. Sheriff stated that President Bola Tinubu would secure a second term in office in 2027, though he noted the All Progressives Congress would not become complacent during the upcoming election cycle.
Additionally, Sheriff dismissed the presidential prospects of Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate, Peter Obi, stating that voters in Northern Nigeria would not support the former Anambra State governor. Sheriff said, “I am not worried about Peter Obi at all because I know that Northerners will never vote for Peter Obi.”
When questioned regarding Obi winning substantial votes in northern states like Nasarawa and Plateau during the 2023 presidential election, Sheriff claimed the political landscape had changed. He alleged that Obi had evicted Northern residents from Anambra State during his gubernatorial tenure, and stated that supporters of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso informed their leader they would not back any alliance involving Obi.