APC and PDP logos
By Adebayo Obajemu
As the 2023 presidential election draws near, some powerful elements within the Northern political establishment are back to the drawing board with a view to upsetting the settled political apple cart in respect of the new political norm which prescribes rotational presidency as a panacea to the unhealthy political rivalry between the North and South.
It was this gentleman kind of agreement that brought Musa Yar’adua in 2007, and same went for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The understanding is that in 2023, the South will produce the president, but this convenient arrangement which has brought some stability to the system is about to suffer some setback which consequences no one can fathom.
Competence sources in the North confided in NATIONAL WAVES that some powerful politicians are not comfortable with power returning to the South again, and are strategizing on how to perfect their subterfuge and ensure the North retains power.
Sources say the North are working on propping up the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party for the political battle ahead, already, secret meetings have allegedly been held by Northern politicians across political divides on how to use the PDP to maintain their stranglehold on power.
Early on, political heavyweights like Abubakar Atiku, Bukola Saraki, Ibrahim Tambuwal, Sule Lamido and Bala Mohammed, all top Northern politicians have indicated interest in contesting for president in 2023. They have consistently made mincemeat of the rotation rhetoric, saying what Nigeria needs now is competence to rescue the country from the abyss the ruling All Progressives Congress has taken the country.
Lending credence to the resolve of the North to hold on to power in a daring move to spite the South, professor Ango Abdullahi, former vice chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, and an influential chair of the Northern Elders Forum, said the North has pencilled down two names as consensus candidates, these are Bukola Saraki, former Senate President; and Bala Mohammed; current governor of Bauchi State.
This announcement seemed to have sparkled infighting in their fold as other politicians from the region interested in contesting for president have reacted furiously to Abdullahi’s , adding that the consensus affairs was a sham.
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 19 northern states and the FCT have denied endorsing any aspirant as the party’s preferred candidate for 2023 presidential election.
The leaders said this in a communiqué at the end of their meeting in Abuja last Monday
The communique was read by former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.
The former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State were alleged to have been shortlisted by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) as the preferred candidates among four northern aspirants seeking for consensus candidate for the PDP.
The four aspirants are Mr Saraki; Mr Mohammed; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and the former Managing Director of FSB International Bank, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Messrs Tambuwal and Hayatu-Deen have since rejected the choice.
Mr Lamido said that the PDP presidential candidate would emerge from the party’s national convention slated to hold from May 28 to May 29.
“We will like to state from the onset that there is nothing called the northern PDP.
“Our coming together as key stakeholders from the northern states is only for the purpose of debunking any notion or impression which might have been created by Prof. Ango Abdullahi’s statement about the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) having shortlisted consensus PDP presidential candidates.
“The PDP as conceived by its founding fathers is and remains the foremost national political platform wherein the democratic aspirations of its teeming members can be actualised devoid of any sectional consideration.
“Our party is neither northern nor southern, but Nigeria,” he said.
Mr Lamido said that the stakeholders were happy that the NEF had through its secretary, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, disassociated itself from Mr Ango’s statement.
“They made it clear that it is Ango’s personal opinion.
“The aspirants have informed us that they are discussing among themselves. They are consulting other senior citizens in order to create a better understanding and unity among themselves.
“Their ultimate objective is to build a national consensus that will produce a national candidate for the party.
“We urge them to keep up with this commendable effort,” he said.
Mr Lamido commended the PDP presidential aspirants’ efforts, while assuring them of their support for the PDP to win the 2023 presidential election.
“Our meeting today is to reinforce on the press release issued on March 23 by me.
“We maintain that all our aspirants are qualified to occupy the Nigerian presidency under the PDP banner.
“We shall continue to support, promote and campaign and win the presidency by the candidate produced by our national convention scheduled for May 22 and 29,” he said.
He appealed to all aspirants to be temperate in their utterances and work to promote harmony and better understanding within the PDP family.
“We also want to assure all PDP members and indeed all Nigerians that we are aware of your pains, prayers, expectations and hope to be rescued.
“Your abiding faith in PDP shall set us free in 2023. By the Almighty’s power we will not fail Nigeria,” he said.
Knowledgeable sources familiar with the plot informed NATIONAL WAVES that APC Northern Caucus are also working in tandem with the plot ,since the party seems to be toeing the rotational agreement in the public,as only Southern candidates have so far emerged in the party to contest for the position of president.
It was learnt that secretly the two parties are plotting to ensure support for whoever emerges the northern presidential candidate from the North to defeat whoever emerges from the South as presidential candidate of the APC .
National Waves learnt that the plotters of power must stay in the North at all cost are also considering different scenarios ,one of which is to draft a pliable Southerner who will be president on a puppet string with the North pulling string behind the scenes. The idea of drafting the vice president Yemi Osinbajo is said to be a product of this thinking, it was learnt that they are also working on alternative to Osinbajo given that the later has no solid political structure to counter Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man they fear to see emerge as president according to sources.
The third force in their calculation, is the former president, Godluck Ebele Jonathan. The arrowheads of the Jonathan opposition of doing one term of four years before handing over to his Northern vice president are said to be Mai Mala Buni, Yobe State Governor and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. Recall that the duo had earlier late last year led a delegation to Otueke to convince Jonathan to join APC.
The Jonathan option may have been a stillborn as powerful forces have risen up against it, and last Friday, a legal luminary and foremost human rights activist, Femi Falana said the 1999 Constitution does not give room for a Jonathan comeback.
The South seems prepared for this subterfuge, Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike has made it clear that it is the turn of the South to produce the president, and to drive home his point that he means business he has been touring Northern States where he has made it clear that the South would resist the temptations to shift the goalpost midway into the game.
Already, the Afenifere under the leadership of Ayo Adebanjo has said for the sake of equity the Southeast be allowed to produce the next president.
There has been surfeit of candidates from the Southeast who have indicated interest to run for president in the two parties; even the Middle Belt has said the region would resist any attempt by any of the political parties to field a Northern candidate for president.
The Middle-Belt Youth Council Worldwide has reiterated that the next president of the country must come from the South.
It also warned the major political parties in the country, not to field a presidential candidate from the North, saying that such a flagbearer would lose the 2023 general election because he would not enjoy the support of the youths in the Federal Capital Territory and the 14 States that make up the Middle-Belt.
The President of the Middle-Belt Youth Council, Mr Emmanuel Zopmal, gave the warning while briefing journalists in Abuja penultimate Wednesday.
He was reacting to the decision by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s 37-person zoning committee to fling open the party’s presidential ticket to all aspirants.
According to him, those pushing against power shift to the South, particularly the Southeast region are toying with the corporate existence of the nation.
He said, “Some desperate politicians are doing everything possible to scuttle the zoning arrangement of their political parties. For the purpose of fairness, equity, and justice, PDP (zoning committee) to rescind its decision and relinquish its presidential ticket to the South.
“In the spirit of uniting this country, it is good if all critical statesmen support a presidential material from the South who has the experience, political acumen, sound economic knowledge, and acceptability across the country to lead this country in 2023.”
Zopmal maintained that the PDP and even the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, both have credible and competent politicians from the South who can rescue Nigeria from the throes of insecurity and economic backwardness.
He said, “We urge the two major political parties to consider Mr Peter Obi, Ex Anambra State Governor (PDP), and Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi (APC) with their tickets because they are light of democracy and they represent the interest of Nigerian youths.
“We urge political parties in Nigeria to be agents of national unity and progress by shifting their presidential tickets to the South. There is no shortcut to democracy. Political parties have a key role in giving Nigeria quality leaders that can truly unite this country and move it forward. We sue for peaceful and credible primary elections ahead.
“The only way to find lasting political stability in this country is for the relevant security agencies to advise politicians to stop unguarded and inflammatory utterances on the 2023 general elections.”
As it stands, elements in the North pushing for the region’s retention of power will have an uphill task as the idea may hit brick walls given opposition to it . On this time will tell who carries the day.
