When it comes to the Presidency of Nigeria the facts are as follows. 1. The North West zone has produced a democratically elected President with full executive powers for approximately 15 years since independence. (President Shehu Shagari from 1979 till 1983)(President Umaru Yar’adua from 2007 till 2010)(President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 till 2023).2.
The South West zone has produced a democratically elected President with full executive powers for approximately 8 years since independence. (President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 till 2007).3. The South South zone has produced a democratically elected President with full executive powers for approximately 5 years since independence.
(President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 till 2015)4. The North East zone has produced a democratically elected Prime Minister with full executive powers for approximately 5 years since independence 62 years ago. (Sir Tafawa Balewa from October 1st 1960 till January 15th 1966) 5.
The North Central zone has NEVER produced a democratically elected President with full executive powers since independence. 6. The South East zone has NEVER produced a democratically elected President with full executive powers since independence.
From the foregoing it is clear that the North West, the South West and, to a lesser extent, the South South have had a fair crack of the whip over the last 62 years when it comes to producing a democratically elected President with full executive powers.
Going forward, if the only criteria is fairness and equity and if we are to put primordial and tribal sentiments aside, there are only three zones that can legitimately claim the Presidency next year.
Those zones are the South East, the North Central and the North East. All three have been deprived of the honor and privilage of fielding their fair share of democratically elected Presidents with full executive powers.
The South East and North Central have NEVER done so and the North East has only done so once when Sir Tafawa Balewa was Prime Minister for 5 years and and 3 months APPROXIMATELY 60 YEARS AGO.
Worse still he was murdered whilst on the seat and did not finish his tenure! It appears to me that electing or supporting anyone outside any of these three zones for either of the two political parties in 2023 is unconciable, unacceptable and indefensible.
Take it or leave it this is the bitter truth.Quite apart from all that the bottom line is as follows.Anyone, regardless of which part of the country they are from, who wishes to be President must be totally committed to preserving the unity of Nigeria.
They must also be ready to guard, protect and defend what is commonly referred to as “the system”.
Anyone that is not committed to these two noble virtues and ideals is a non-starter.(FFK)