THE 2023 presidential election is exactly 426 days away but the polity is astir as if the election will be held in a few weeks time....CONTINUE READING
By the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the presidential poll will be conducted on February 18, 2023.
A number of aspirants have declared their intentions. Many are still criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country consulting stakeholders.
There are also pressures on some leading politicians to join the race just as the polity is awash with torrents of endorsements for some aspirants.
Now, there is a rat race of sorts among the various geo-political zones to be the favoured area to produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor on May 29, 2023.
Currently, the zones laying strong claims to the presidency and angling to produce the next chief tenant of Aso Villa are the South-East, North-Central and South-West.
Although some political bigwigs from the North-East and North-West are considered to be interested in the nation’s top most job they are yet to make their intentions known even though underground consultations are on-going.
Among the three zones, the South-East and North-Central are shouting the loudest. For instance, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, South-East governors and a host of Igbo groups and leaders are arguing that to ensure equity, fairness, justice and national stability, the South-East, which is yet to produce an executive president of the country should be allowed to produce Buhari’s successor. They also argue that zoning the presidency to South-East would address years of marginalisation of the area and curb the raging secession agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and other groups.
South-East’s claim
Since 1960, the South-East tasted the seat of power for six months via General Aguiyi Ironsi’s military regime in 1966 and the vice presidency for four years through late Dr Alex Ekwueme in the Second Republic. Late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was a ceremonial president for six years when the country practiced a Parliamentary system of government with late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister, being the head of government.
Currently, presidential aspirants from the zone include former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim (PDP), Chief Sam Ohuabunwa (PDP), Governor of Ebonyi, Dave Umahi (APC), Mr Peter Obi (PDP), Professor Kingsley Moghalu (YPP), and Ihechukwu Dallas Chima (APC) among others.
North-Central’s argument
On its part, the North-Central zone argues that since independence, the zone has not produced a president or vice president and deserves to do so in 2023. North-Central, nevertheless produced most of the nation’s military rulers – General Yakubu Gowon; General Ibrahim Babangida; and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who together ruled the nation for 18 years.
As it were, the North-Central has produced the National Chairman of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, through Dr Iyorchia Ayu. The zone is also angling to produce the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Now, most of the APC national chairmanship aspirants are from the North-Central.
Leading presidential aspirants from the North-Central are Mr. Moses Ayom (APC), former Senate President Bukola Saraki (PDP), and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State (APC).
Power not served a la carte —South-West
However, some leaders of the South-West zone are bent on competing seriously for the presidency saying that power is not served a la carte. These leaders are pushing the South-West bid through the ruling APC with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Works and Housing Minister, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola as possible picks.
Already, a campaign and mobilisation group, the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju, SWAGA, has been mobilising support for Tinubu to vie for the presidency in 2023.
Having played crucial roles in the emergence of President Buhari, first at the APC presidential primaries in Lagos in 2015 and at the election proper, some APC leaders in the South-West believe the zone, on merit, deserves to produce the party’s next presidential standard bearer. It has also been argued that with a South-West and North-West alliance, which jointly represents Nigeria’s voters’ warehouse and a sprinkling of votes across few other states, a popular South-West candidate can win the presidential poll.
Groups pressure Tinubu, Osinbajo to run
Currently, Tinubu and Osinbajo are being pressured to declare their interests.
Following his one-day visit to Imo State, a pro- APC, group, the National Coalition Group, NCG, on Wednesday, called on Vice President Osinbajo to quickly declare to run for the 2023 presidential election to succeed President Buhari.
Making the call in Owerri, through its National Secretary, Eberechukwu DibËa, the group said Osinbajo has shown enough experience and capacity to solve the numerous challenges the country is facing.
“We will mobilise state governors, past and present National Assembly members, and elected APC executives across the nation to ensure that Osinbajo emerges the presidential standard-bearer of the ruling party and elected President subsequently,’’ the group vowed.
Although Osinbajo has been under pressure to run since last May, he is yet to confirm or deny his ambition. Credible sources said with time ‘’he will give a nod because he is easily the best candidate the South-West can put forward now. He is sound, experienced and does not have much baggage.”
I won’t disappoint my supporters — Tinubu
On Tuesday, in Abuja, a group, the Northern Alliance Committee, NAC, endorsed Tinubu for the presidency in 2023 , with its leader, Ambassador Lawal Ahmed Munir, assuring that they would work to actualise it because of Tinubu’s ‘sterling qualities.’
Tinubu, who has reportedly met with many northern stakeholders and some southerners including former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has assured the NAC and all his supporters across the country that he would not put down their clamour for him to be the next president.
‘’I am not going to turn them (Nigerians) down but I will still effectively and wisely consult, particularly brainstorm with my friends and find a date to come out openly and tell Nigerians…The President is still in office. I don’t want to distract him from all the challenges that he might face today,’’ he said.
I’ve the capacity, experience to rescue Nigeria — Ohuaabunwa
Speaking on why he is running for the presidency, Ohuabunwa, who was chief executive officer of Neimeth International Pharmaceutical PLC, chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN; a member of the Presidential Committees on Vision 2010 and 2020 National Development plan; said he has the idea and capacity to save the country.
Noting that zoning is necessary now until basic things are put in place, he said he is not in the race because of the clamour for power shift to the South-East.
‘’I want to become President because I believe I have the competence, the character, and all it takes. I am as competent as anyone out there. I have been thoroughly bred and prepared for the office and I tell you, it has been long in coming. In 1991, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, current Minister of Science and Technology, invited me to be commissioner in Abia State. I was one of those he interviewed and said he was going to hire. From 1998 till date, I have been a member of the PDP. I am not contesting for the office of the President because I am from the South-East; I am competent to be the President of Nigeria and I am qualified and I can compare with the best one-on-one. I am bringing in the experience to change Nigeria. It is not incremental improvement, it is a revolution and the dream is to make Nigeria a first world country and to become globally competitive with other countries,’’ he said.
Stressing the need for zoning now, Ohuabunwa said: ‘’In my book, I said zoning is critical in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country where you have a minority and majority. If you don’t zone, you are going to perpetually keep people as slaves and if you want unity, you must bring inclusiveness. When we get to the point where we become politically sophisticated, dealt with all the mundane issues, dealt with housing, education, transportation, health, defined our assurance to accommodate people, have mortgage system that gives people houses, have educational system that ensures scholarship, have bursary, student loans, when we take care of this mundane things, zoning will become unimportant.”
I’ll reposition Nigeria — Anyim
The former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who has been locked in consultation tours across the country, has been endorsed by many groups. He has been endorsed by the Ebonyi PDP. Recently, 30 northern civil society and youth groups on the banner of the Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria, ACCSON, adopted Anyim as their 2023 presidential candidate ‘’because he is a symbol of national unity.
Anyim, who had earlier visited former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, last Saturday, visited the Emir of Lafia, Hon Justice Sidi Bage, Muhammad 1, in continuation of his nationwide consultation on his ambition to contest the 2023 presidential election.
Receiving Anyim, the monarch said the former Senate President is capable of solving Nigeria’s problems and remains one of the best hopes for the country.
Speaking on his quest, Anyim told the League of Nigerian Youth for Equity and the League of Young Women Club who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, this week that he would make Nigerians proud of their country.
According to him, the problem of the country is that a large number of people are losing hope, feeling that they have no stake in Nigeria.
”When I become the President of this country, you will be proud to be called a Nigerian”, Anyim assured, adding, “a greater and better Nigeria will serve all of us better.”
North-Central leaders strategise
To produce Buahri’s successor, some North-Central leaders have been holding top-level meetings in Abuja, Jos, Makurdi, Lafia, Ilorin, Minna, and Lokoja. The campaign is also to be handled at different levels with members of the National Assembly from the zone, former members of the National Assembly, present and past governors from the zone, speakers of the state Houses of Assembly, retired generals, business people, and traditional rulers being co-opted to start working at various levels to sell the agenda to their colleagues, friends, and associates from the other zones.
The advocacy group is known as North-Central Advocacy and Contact Committee. It is led by Professor Iorwuse Hagher.
The leaders believe that this time around, their counterparts in the North-West and North East zones should support their agitation to produce the next President. They stated that their agitation is supported by historical facts, the principle of justice and equity as well as the concept of brotherhood.
The North- Central leaders also noted that in the Second Republic, leaders from the North in the now-defunct NPN promised a North-Central leader, Dr. Joseph Sarwuan Tarka the presidency before the decision was changed at the last minute in favour of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Tarka was also denied the Senate Presidency while the zone was also not able to get the Speakership of the House of Representatives zoned to it due to the exigency of satisfying the NPN/NPP accord. Yet the North-Central apart remained solidly in support of the NPN.
In fact, the North Central played a key role in the political development of Nigeria such that the place had hosted some of the landmark events in the country. It was in Gboko that Alhaji Shehu Shagari was nominated for his second term. Jos hosted the Action Group National Convention in 1962 which led to the Awolowo-Akintola feud. In the same Jos, Chief M. K. O. Abiola in 1993 and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 were nominated as presidential candidates of their respective parties.
They noted that as a multi-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic region, the North Central remains better placed to unite the country as it represents a mini-Nigeria. In the same way, the Zone is also the food basket of the nation because of the rich land, its numerous mineral resources, industrious and friendly people.
The North Central leaders are also claiming that it is the only zone that has neither produced a President nor Vice President since the advent of the country. This fact, they stated, placed them in a worse situation than that of the South East which produced the vice president between 1979 – 1983.
The North Central leaders have called all the men and women in the zone qualified to be President to join the race in their respective political parties and provide solid backing for the North central agitation.
”The plan is to ensure that two or at least one of the two leading political parties presents a presidential aspirant from our zone while the other parties also get ready to present presidential candidates who are from the Zone. Then you will see our people solidly coming out to persuade the rest of the country to vote for a Nigerian candidate from the North Central”, one of the leaders stated.
The North Central leaders believe a candidate from the Zone can easily win the trust of the rest of the country, unite the country, build a cohesive country and virulently work on the security and economic problems.
Indeed, former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, said recently that only a president from the North-Central zone could rescue Nigeria from her comatose state.
Mr. Moses Ayom, the CEO of Granite and Marble, who has declared his intention is making a strong push for the top seat. He has been endorsed by Middle-Belt religious leaders, Igbo leaders in Abuja and a South-South delegation.
As the election date inch closer, the North-Central Zone PDP has said it would adopt a consensus presidential candidate. As of now, the Advocacy and committee has adopted Senator Saraki as the zone’s candidate just as the Niger State PDP endorsed the former Kwara State governor.
