The Director of News at Arise Television, Sumner Sambo, has argued that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s determination to contest the 2027 presidential election despite the prevailing zoning convention could strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process.
Speaking on Monday during Arise Television’s *Morning Show*, Sambo maintained that Nigeria’s Constitution allows any eligible citizen to seek the presidency, regardless of the informal power-sharing arrangement among regions.
He described the rotational presidency as a political understanding rather than a constitutional requirement, insisting that Atiku’s participation would encourage a more competitive and merit-driven electoral process.
According to Sambo, elections should be decided on competence instead of waiting for power to rotate to a particular region, adding that the zoning practice has made some politicians overly dependent on regional arrangements.
He further noted that the current rotation model differs from the recommendation made by the constitutional conference chaired by the late Alex Ekwueme in 1995, which proposed rotating the presidency across the six geopolitical zones before eventually abandoning the arrangement in favour of merit-based contests.
Sambo also observed that the recommendation was never fully implemented as originally envisioned under the late General Sani Abacha’s political transition programme.
He stressed that the debate ultimately highlights the need for broader political reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system.
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