Latest News

Clash Of The Titans: Why The South Must Bury Their Ego And Support A Tinubu’s Candidacy By Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah

Published

5 years ago

July 16, 2021

Ireporteronline

What do we Nigerians want? Today looking at the uncertainty facing the Nation one wonders what is it that we really want as a Nation? If you ask the South Easterner he would tell you he wants equity and fairness, he wants a balanced country where every Nigeran would have equal opportunities, a land flowing with justice.

If you ask the South Westerner it is not something different, likewise the South-South. Ordinarily, I would not have made this post but getting to see my Southern brothers and sisters always complaining of domination by the Northern region, then I wonder what they really want.

219019172 10158740810612946 2132259657835844586 n

If we say or agree that the North is dominating the political scene and we have two years away to change the Status quo then what are we complaining of? Now we agree that the presidency should come back to the South and yet some say it should remain in the North.

Again some Southerners are wailing uncontrollably on social media when we should as a matter of urgency start rallying around our Southern leaders who are courageous enough to challenge the system. If we say Nigeria belongs to us all then what part are we playing to validate that role?

First of all the presidency is not a father Christmas gift. Nobody would give you power without fighting for it. Since 2003 zoning has never really been adhered to but the popularity of the candidate made the zoning arrangement seem to have worked.

1998 PDP Presidential Primaries

The 1998 Jos Convention of the PDP for the 1999 Presidential election, shows that aspirants were drawn from the 3 Southern geopolitical zones, showing there was no micro-zoning, or gifting of the party ticket to any region or tribe, besides the fact that it was exclusively zoned to the South, while the North watched from the sidelines having wielded power for about 20yrs uninterrupted (1st Oct 1979 to 29th May 1999).

This convention produced Obasanjo as its presidential candidate.

1998 Alliance for Democracy/All People’s Party (AD/APP) primaries produced CHIEF SAMUEL OLU FALAE.

2003 PDP Presidential Primaries

This was contested by Obasanjo from the South West as the incumbent president. There was no zoning as both Southerners and Northerners contested. Alex Ekwueme from South East contested, Abubakar Rimi from North West contested, and Barnabas Gemade from North Central contested.

In the general elections, the Alliance for Democracy, AD supported incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo and presented no presidential candidate.

The ANPP presented Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate. Take note zoning was completely disregarded by all parties.

Since 2007 to date same sequence has been applied, now the keyword here is your popularity and not if zoning works or not.

If Buhari was well accepted than Obasanjo in 2003 then we would not have been shouting zoning, but Obasanjo’s influence was more and Buhari was thrashed at the general elections.

It is unfortunate that while the Northern elites and masses take electoral matters with such serious attention it requires, their Southern counterparts take it with levity and instead would sit back and rely on sympathy talks.

They would spend their whole energy wailing oh mundane issues like the north is designed to rule over the rest of the country, oh the north is not considerate, oh the north has a born to rule mentality etc.

So if the South claims they are been neglected and sidelined what are they now doing about it? Sit down looking for sympathy? Or start working hard and seek sympathy VOTES?

This is what I keep frowning at, how long are we going to sit down and keep wailing? It’s high time we just don’t talk the talk but also walk the walk.

If the South brings a weak candidate that can not muster enough votes from the North then the North would once again trounce the south in the political game.

Politics is not for the cowards, it’s made for strong men who are bold enough to throw their hats in the ring.

Aside from these profound characteristics such as Unimpeachable Character, Political Experience, Business Background, Educational Background, Military Background, Foreign Affairs Background, Overall Leadership Experience etc which is inherent in Tinubu.

Tinubu has the administrative experience, personality, financial muscle, established international & local connections to withstand any mago mago should in case these same cabals decides to act funny.

It is unfortunate that rather than my brothers and sisters to brace up and rally behind a strong character that would defend and sustain the Southern mandate if questioned, instead these few people wallow in fear of the North which they see as the decider of their destiny, they are Lily-livered and are Living in self-pity.

Asiwaju boasts of a rich network with friends in Kano, Katsina and Borno States just to mention a few. With these three States alone the Jagaban has a strong chance if the opposition brings in a Northerner as its presidential flagbearer.

We in the South should understand that only a large political figure with strong clouts can defeat a northern candidate. Asiwaju has the resources both in human capacity and finance to wage a clash with any perceived usurper.

We must as a matter of urgency rally around the candidacy of the Jagaban, nobody can rule Nigeria without the votes from the North. Recall how Abiola defeated a Tofa in Kano? How a Shehu Musa Yar’Adua defeated an Olu Falae in Ondo?

Let’s go there…. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our sure bet for the 2023 presidency, we must queue behind his presidency as a region.

Enough of the oligarchy, talk the talk and walk the walk. Na only pikin wey dey the mama back go tell you say journey no far.

Like I’ve always said, only those who knew where Asiwaju is coming from appreciates where he is today. His contributions to democracy in Nigeria is second to none. At least he has proved to us all that he’s not a tribalist.

Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah writes in from Lagos.

Whatsapp 07032341798

Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/osigwe.ikirodah