In a statement titled ‘Our Party, APC Must Tread The Path of
Equity’, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, said: “It is the turn of the
Southern part of the country to produce the next President. The party
leadership should have no difficulty in making a pronouncement on this very
important issue just as it has fixed various fees for the purchase of forms.
This must be done without delay. The principle of Federal Character is
enshrined in the 1999 constitution as amended.
“It would be disingenuous for anyone to argue against
rotation at this period. We must not keep our party men and women guessing on
the position of the leadership of the party. This is the time to weigh in and
take control of the process. No statement must suggest, even remotely, that the
party harbours certain sentiments which may predispose it to consider throwing
the contest open. This is certainly not the time for equivocation. EQUITY
DICTATES THAT WE TAKE A STAND!”
As bellicose and strongly-worded as ever, my dearest brother has spoken his mind courageously. Kudos to him but I beg to differ.
Threatening your party leadership simply because you are a
Governor is not the best way to establish common ground and a reasonable
consensus on any matter. More on this later.
In his own contribution Senator Ali Ndume said: “They
(meaning the Senators supporting Senate President Ahmad Lawan for President) have
not come because they know my position. I have nothing against Ahmad Lawan. He
is my colleague. But I have everything against injustice. I won’t support even
my biological brother. Fielding a northerner is tantamount to injustice and
tantamount to a third term.
“The so-called Northern Elders that are pushing it are doing
so to perpetuate injustice. It is the turn of the South and we have to support
them to actualise this. I am disappointed in those that are pushing this
(meaning Northern Presidency). I have since taken a position even before my
alignment with Rotimi Amaechi.”
These are interesting words from a dear friend and a man for
whom I have immense respect. However, once again I beg to differ.
Some who have insisted on a Southern Presidency next year
are less charitable and far more rabid, vicious and aggressive than Akeredolu
and Ndume.
They have howled, growled and threatened to tear the country
apart and indulge in all manner of subterfuge and violence if they do not get
their way.
This contribution serves primarily as a response to them and
also as a gentle warning and caveat to the more restrained and civilised voices
who secretly harbour their thoughts and share their warped disposition but are
smart enough not to express it publicly.
To them I say the following: Kindly stop the howling, the
growling, the barking, the wailing, the sulking, the lamenting, the rolling all
over the floor and all the other infantile expressions of hopelessness and
frustration and get real.
More importantly be cool-headed, cerebal, analytical,
intellectual, civilised and thorough in your analysis, stop the nonsense,
control your emotions and take sentiments out of this.
The quest for power is a serious business. It is not served
on a plate and it does not come easily.
Whilst most in the South are blabbing, threatening and
insulting all those that do not see things their way, the majority of the North
are planning silently and effectively keeping their cards close to their chest
and operating in unity, peace and one accord.
This is both beautiful and powerful and it cannot be
downplayed or ignored. It is a virtue and not a weakness.
And those that malign them or treat them with contempt for
charting this course do so at their own peril.
If the South really wants the Presidency next year in the
name of fairness and equity then I challenge them to let every single aspirant
from both the South West and South South in BOTH parties STEP DOWN for a
candidate from the South East and support that candidate.
Unless and until they have the presence of mind and
fortitude to do so they cannot fairly say the Presidency must not go to the
North.
The people of the North East and North Central have been
denied their fair share of democratically-elected leaders.
Why should they be denied this opportunity again just to
pave way for a Southerner in 2023? Are they not Nigerians as well? Are they
second class citizens?
Do they not also have the right to feel marginalised and
deprived and are they not entitled to have their own dreams and aspirations?
The North Central has NEVER enjoyed a democratically-elected
President in our entire history and the North East has not enjoyed it for 62
years! Is that reasonable, just or fair?
Worse still in the case if the North East the entire zone
has been ravaged by terrorism and barborous banditry inflicted by mainly
foreign sponsored elements over the last 12 years and now some are saying none
of their sons can run for the Presidency? This is surely callous and
unconciable.
Can anyone rightly say they will go to war or sabotage the
chances of their own political party just because aspirants from either the
North Eastern or North Central zones may emerge as the party flag bearer or
because their party refuses to zone the Presidency to the South?
Is this not, at best, irresponsible and, at worse, madness?
Is it a crime to come from Yobe, Borno, Kogi, Kwara,
Nassarawa, Niger, Adamawa, the FCT or any of the other North Eastern or North
Central states? Surely this cannot be so.
It is absurd and disingenuous for anyone to argue that the
SW, who have enjoyed power for 8 years as President and 8 years as VP over the
last 23 years alone should take the Presidency next year.
What about the South East, North Central and North East? Are
they not Nigerians too?
We should not talk about North and South anymore. These are
archaic, anachronistic and outdated designations. There is no longer any ONE
NORTH and there was never any ONE SOUTH.
What we have today are six distinct, strong and intellectually
and spiritually independent zones and that is what we should talk about.
My view is that we should allow any of the three zones that
have not had their fair share of democratically elected Presidents have an
opportunity to do so next year.
That is what you call justice and fairness and all the
lamentations, insults, threats and barking in the world cannot change that.
The South East, North East and North Central are peopled by
decent, hard-working, diligent, brilliant, civilised leaders as well and they
were born free. They were not born Nigerians to be slaves to the people of the
North West, South West and South South.
And those of us from the North West, South West and South
South were not born to be their masters and overlords and neither were they
born to be ours.
We were all born to be equals before God and the law and
anything short of that will lead to catastrophy and put us on the road to
Kigali.
Finally let me say this: if the PDP picks a northerner as
its candidate then the APC MUST do the same in order to win.
Anything outside of this will be folly and a recipe for
disaster. Politics is a game of numbers and it is a winner takes all match.
There are no prizes for the runner up.
The APC must not destroy its chances of winning or sacrifice
its chances of victory on the alter of a Southern Presidency despite the
rantings of some regional irredentists who have a divisive agenda and who ought
to know better.
We must do all we can to win and judging from what I am
seeing and the fact that an Atiku presidential bid is likely to be presented by
the PDP the only way we can do so is if we field a strong candidate from the
North Central or North Eastern zone.
Threats that the country will divide or that there will be
secession if this happens are unfounded, baseless, alarmist and false.
We shall hold the line and weather the storm. We shall do
whatever it takes to keep the peace and keep our flag flying.
Nigeria shall remain united and together we shall go from
strength to strength.
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