…as fear grips South, apprehensive whether North’ll honour promise
As the race for picking a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 gradually gathers momentum, politicians and ordinary Nigerians are apprehensive about the region to produce the next president of the country.
Already, the issue which is of concern to many has begun to generate debates among the major stakeholders from the six geo-political zones in the country.
Likewise, supporters of the two major political parties in the country, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition People Democratic Party, have been at loggerheads regarding the zone to produce the country’s next president.
While some believe it’s time the pendulum swung to the South again, others said the zoning arrangement should not be the basis or determining factor for picking the next president for the country. For those in this category, credibility of the personality coupled with his commitment to saving the country from the quagmire of violence and other ugly situations it has found itself.
The above argument is now being cited by some Northerners demanding the region’s retention of the nation’s presidency beyond 2023, arguing that zoning the position will be unconstitutional.
But political observers sympathetic to the cause of the South have been quick to state that zoning the presidential ticket to the South may be a way to appease different groups in the region agitating for secession.
Already two groups from the South, Oodua Republic and the Indigenous People of Biafra, have been agitating for the separation of their independent nations from Nigeria.
However, political pundits across the regions are of the belief that ceding the presidential ticket to the South would calm the secession agitators ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Southern leaders and demands for Zoning
Apparently apprehensive about this development, Southern and Middle Belt leaders have been impressing it on the two leading political parties in Nigeria, the main opposition PDP and the ruling APC, to zone their 2023 presidential tickets to Southern candidates only.
The leaders under the aegis of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) are of the strong view that with this the country will have the needed peace and unity.
The leaders at a recent meeting chaired by Ijaw National Leader and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, and attended by Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, for the South West; President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. George Obiozor, for the South East; leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, for the South-South and the National President, Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, for the Middle Belt, strongly canvassed their position.
Rising from the meeting, the SMBLF chieftains demanded that all leading political parties, especially the APC and the PDP as well as other political parties should toe their line, arguing that the basis of any viable democracy, especially in a diverse and complex country such as Nigeria, was fair and even sharing of power.
They noted that since the Northern part of the country would have fully enjoyed the office of the president for the full statutory period of eight years by 2023, the region should then yield the office to the South.
Speaking in the same vein, a former senator from Ekiti South Senatorial District, Adedayo Adeyeye, said the Northerners are necessarily expected to honour the ‘gentleman agreement’ in 2023 and allow the next president to come from the South.
“The agreement may not be constitutional, but we all know it is there between the North and South. The South is expected to produce the next president, irrespective of the any part of the South the candidates are coming from. This I believe will douse the tension and bring unity among the tribes,” he said.
Northerners back zoning to South
In support of the call by the Southern leaders over the zoning arrangement, some notable leaders in the North have advised that the presidential ticket should be zoned to the South to maintain unity in the country.
Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume, while speaking on the development, said a Northern presidency in 2023 would amount to the North seeking a third term in office, describing it as unconstitutional.
According to him, no Northerner should be fielded for the 2023 presidential poll.
He said, “I am against APC producing its presidential candidate from the north. The APC presidential candidate should come from the south.
“If you have the presidential candidate of the APC from the north, it is tantamount to third term and to me, it is unconstitutional.
“The constitution says the President should serve two terms and we say the north should serve two terms.
“If you say the north should produce the President again, it means you are going for third term which is not fair. I believe in fair, justice and equity.”
Ndume, however, noted that the activities of secession agitators in the South may work against the chances of the region in clinching the 2023 presidency, stressing that Northern candidates may capitalise on this development in the South to deny the region of the opportunity to produce the next president of the country.
He added, “Let the candidate come from the south. However, you cannot say you want to be the head of the house, and at the same time, calling for the division of the House.
“That is what is giving the Northerners the opportunity to say they want to be the President again because if you want to be the President of Nigeria, you must believe in the unity of Nigeria.
“If you want the country to be divided, which Nigeria are you going to be president of? So, for me, I support a candidate from the south, anywhere in the south.
“If you ask me, I will say each of the three zones in the south should bring one or two candidates and let us go to the convention for Nigerians, especially the APC to decide and whoever emerges will be given the support to win the election”.
El-Rufai raises caveat
Also throwing his weight behind the South’s quest to produce Buhari’s successor is Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i.
El-Rufai support for the South is, however, not without a caveat.
He noted though the arrangement to zone or rotate the nation’s presidency among the various regions of Nigeria was unconstitutional, he said it’s a gentleman political accord that must be respected by the two regions.
According to him, “The southern part of the country is supposed to produce the president come 2023.
“I don’t support a northerner to vie for the seat after President Muhammadu Buhari, based on Nigeria’s political arrangement.
“After President Muhammadu Buhari would have spent eight years by 2023, the right is that, no northerner should contest, the south two should have its shot for eight years.
“I am taking this position not because I agree that that is how leadership should be selected, but because that is how Nigeria politics is for now.
“I believe there is no developed country across the world that considers leadership based on where someone comes from.
“However, in Nigerian politics, there is an arrangement that we all believe on rotational leadership. We are aware of that, anyone who denies that is wrong,” he said.
Northern youths differ, oppose zoning
But on his part, National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, said choosing the next president of the country placing the zoning requirement over competence could be disastrous.
Yerima argued that zoning the nation’s presidency had become outdated and anachronistic.
According to him, “Of course, you cannot stop people from their permutation and others, but I can tell you that what we are keen about this time around is not the region but competence. We must produce a president that will help the lives of the people, irrespective of the zone he comes from. Zoning is a thing of the past.”
The AYCF president had once said in an exclusive interview with FirstNews Online that Northern youths may prevail upon voters in their region not vote for a Southern candidate in 2023.
Although Yerima had specifically said that the North may not vote for the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should he emerge the ruling party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
Taking a stand with the North
Toeing the AYCF’s line, a former military governor of Oyo State, Major General David Jemibewon, in his contributions stated that producing the next president through zoning will not do the country any good.
Jemibewon said, “I have never really shared the views of people who feel that it is the turn of Yoruba, it is the turn of Igbo, it is the turn of Ijaw, it is the turn of Ibibio. Honestly, I just have a feeling that it shows we have not developed enough, civilized enough, not been serious enough. Otherwise, what is the point in establishing political parties? If you want Yoruba to be considered, why not say a Yoruba party or Igbo party, or Hausa party, you understand?
“Having come up with the idea of APC, PDP et al, why don’t you allow the establishment, these political parties, to be the party to go forward to nominate a potential leader for our people and conducting them and let your representatives be elected by the majority to the leadership position? For me, honestly, as long we continue to say it is Yoruba’s turn, it is Hausa’s turn, it is Efik’s turn, then we are not serious”.
However, as the race begins to gather momentum, observers are keenly watching where the pendulum will eventually swing.