As 2023 keep drawing closer, indicating the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure, there have been debates and arguments on who should replace him and of which region the person will come from.
Many political analysts have said that in order to end secession agitation from the South-East region, they should be given the chance to rule but i am of the opinion that giving them the chance to rule shouldn’t be based on ending agitation but for the shake of fairness and equity.
For the fundamental principle of all inclusiveness and for the need to stabilize the country, the presidential ticket should be zone to the South-East by all political parties without any form of sentiment. If the ticket is zone to the SOUTH, we have south west, south south and south east which among the three southern zones, its only the South-East that have not enjoyed the seat of the president.
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Before lats year’s election, some Igbo elites agitated for power shift and the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo urged them to try their luck but the timing seems not to be right, according to analysts. Even, the former president later changed his mind and supported his former vice, Atiku Abubakar.
If the time is ripe in 2023, as it were, can it be a walk over? So far, there is still a huge gap to fill. Igbo elements are silent on what they want to use power for, if it is zoned to the Southeast. Equity, justice and fairness are advertised as motives. Indeed, Igbo want to have a sense of belonging with justification. But, what principles and ideology are driving likely Igbo presidential hopeful? Will a president of Igbo extraction resolve the national question? What will be his position on national unity?
I think the answer will be for whoever lucky enough to fill the gap for the Igbos at the president seat. Though, rotation or zoning is not sacrosanct; it is a party’s arrangement among members because it is not in the Nigerian constitution. So it is up to members of the party to decide where the Presidential candidate should come from.
The APC produced Buhari for second term and by the end of the term, he has completed eight years. So it is ideal for the party to respect and stick to the zoning arrangement on ground and look for a presidential candidate from the South.
It depends on the political parties. You know the parties have zoning arrangements. But for the APC, since the North-West produced the President this time around, next is supposed to be the South.
For the PDP, since there is zoning, they should zone theirs to maybe South, Atiku’s running mate was from South-East. So going by zoning arrangement, the South (South-West or South-East) is supposed to produce the next president. And then the Vice President should now come from the North-East or North-Central.
Since 1999, South-West, North-West and South-South have produced presidents, conventionally, power rotates for equity and justice as implied in the Principles of Federal Character.
Therefore, in 2023, passionate consideration should be accorded the South-East as the only zone in the Southern region that has yet to produce a president
