As the 2023 presidential election inches closer, the issue of zoning of the presidential ticket of the major political parties is now on the front burner. While the ruling All Progressives Congress has given indications that it will zone the ticket to the South, the Peoples Democratic Party has been keeping mum. Some APC governors have even given reasons why the ticket should go to the South.
That was how late Yar’Adua succeeded Obasanjo. However, Yar’Adua was not able to complete his first tenure and his deputy, Jonathan, stepped in to complete the tenure and even went for a fresh four-year term. When Jonathan was going into the race in 2011 some northern leaders operating under the auspices of Northern Political Leaders Forum led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar mounted strong opposition against his candidature.
The presidential election in Nigeria is extremely sensitive. It is the most powerful and influential position that confers the greatest sense of belonging to the federation on any ethnic or geopolitical area that produces him or her. Therefore, since independence, every segment of the country craves to have a piece of the cake. That is why morality is the obvious sandwich of Nigerian elections and, indeed, the 2023 presidential election.
While it is good to clarify that zoning or rotational presidency is not enshrined in our constitution or any electoral laws in the country, there is an unwritten understanding, which was practised by the PDP, which united Nigeria and gave every segment a sense of belonging and inclusion. It is still not clear whether the ruling APC is disposed to retaining these age-long democratic practices that have remained a strong pillar of our democracy and a uniting force.
However, socio-cultural groups from the South-East, Middle Belt, North-Central, South-West, South-South as well as minority groups in the North all threw their weights behind the position of the Southern Governors Forum in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice. Also, Governor Babagan Zulum of Borno State categorically supported the position of the South-South.
“If six geo-political zones called North have been in power since 2015 and after exhausting eight years, the constitution expects the south to produce the next president. Zoning is lawful and constitutional. And there is precedent. In 2006, they made a similar demand for power shift, if they checked their records.
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