The North on Tuesday gave an indication of a heated Presidential race in 2015 saying that either through rotation or its population, it will take back the Presidency from President Jonathan.
Secretary of the Northern Elders Forum and Former Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Food Security, Prof. Ango Abdullahi told newsmen in Kaduna that the various groups in the region were already working together to ensure that power return to the north in 2015.
He also said that former
President Olusegun Obasanjo begged the north to allow him have a second
term since the original arrangement for rotational presidency did not
include having two terms, adding that the north had to allow Obasanjo to
serve two terms in line with the constitutional provisions.
Prof. Abdullahi said that if
the north cannot claim the Presidency through rotation, it intends to do
so relying on its massive population, adding that based on population
alone, the north can hold on to power in the country for as long as they
wish to do so.
He said “I want to make it
absolutely clear to you that the ACF and all these other groups that
have emerged in the recent past are committed to the interest that
underlies northern interest. There is no question about that.
“The north is determined and
is insisting that the leadership of the country will rotate to it in
2015 and I am making that very clear to you. On behalf of all of us, ACF
in front because they have been the oldest group and the Middle Belt
Forum (MBF) and our other groups that have been very active and strong.
“All of us are likely to have
this very tough and common agenda. Not that the north and power blind,
no, it will be argued on the rational argument that are on ground today.
The north on the basis of one man, one vote can keep power indefinitely
in the present Nigeria state,” Abdullahi stated.
“If it is on the basis of one
man, one vote, the demography shows that the north can keep power as
long as it wants because it will always win elections”.
The former Vice Chancellor
noted that the issue of rotational presidency between the North and
South was accepted many years ago at the 1987 Political Reform
Conference, where it was resolved that every part of the country should
be part of the leadership.
He said that the north has
always made sacrifices in the course in the interest f the country,
adding that “some of us who participated in conferences- constitutional
conferences from 1987 until the last one- the Political Reform
Conference, it was accepted that every part of this country should feel
part of the leadership and these are the basis of the acceptance of the
rotation between the north and the south
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Maybe the North entered the agreement with OBJ definetly not with the Nigerian Society. Secondly since 1987 the agreement to rotate did not suffice on the part of Eastern Nigeria. Or I guess they are not Nigerians enough.
ReplyDeleteThese politicians are living in a fictional world. 'Based on population alone, the north can hold on to power for as they wish to do so' - This is a ridiculous statement. That person is assuming that every single person in the north agrees on one candidate. This is exactly the mentality that buhari took in the last election and he lost by an extremely wide margin.
ReplyDeleteI'm really getting sick of these so called northern leaders speaking for the whole north as if we all hold their views.
This northern people abi HAUSA-FULANI so after FIGHTING with SOUTHERN KADUNA PEOPLE, JOS PEOPLE, BENUE PEOPLE, even KILLING YORUBA TRADERS una still BELIEVE say these PEOPLE go come VOTE 4 Una CANDIDATE? RUBBISH!
ReplyDeleteEL-MATOSKY.
WHERE IS THE POPULATION IN THE NORTH? ENOUGH OF ALL THIS FULL AROUND. BECAUSE WE (THE SOUTH) ALLOWED YOU TO COUNT GOAT, SHEEP AND MALU AS HUMAN BEINGS?
ReplyDeleteTELL WHERE IN THE SOUTH YOU WILL TRAVEL MORE THAN A MILE WITHOUT TOWN AND VILLAGES. BUT IN THE NORTH, I HAVE DRIVEN OVER HUNDRED MILES WITHOUT A VILLAGE.
STEVE.
Dont mind d fools' statement, leadership is their birth-rite, anumanu come and take it. May be 'almajiris' are includnd.
ReplyDelete9ja guy, u re sooo on point. The way this people talk make me laugh. What makes him think they can get the entire North to vote for one man
ReplyDeleteThe north does not enjoy large population as they claim, we cover the last election in the north, children under 18 were voting young girl of 12 voted because they were house wifes. We cover the census the samethig happen, most of the party chair men has three wifes all under 12 years of age and they call them adults this time it will not happen, so prof don't fool Nigerians
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot borrow the whites and make them our brothers or sisters...We don't even look near alike..Nigerians you're my only closely knit relations...We are all we have
ReplyDeleteProf. Abdullahi, hv u forgotten that the north is divided ever since Buhari made a statement in 1997 which was backed up by BH who operate at will? Yet you the so called norhtern elders cross~your~legs watching and enjoying the perpetuation. Believe me, dont deceive urselvs. Get back to ur drawing board and draw a new sketch cos 50% northerners fell victims of ur circumstance. Am speaking from ezperience of humiliation, masacre and dislodgement. Wake up prof. U must be sleeping.
ReplyDeletePower belongs to God and not the North,time will make nonsense of this shallow boasts by the proff.
ReplyDeletePapa, your assertions are undemocratic and unacceptable to many of us. Location is never a barrier to franchise.
ReplyDeleteAll of u above are mumu, how can somebody with just one wife have more children dan a person with 4 wifes? Lamidi
ReplyDeleteThis Ango guy must be a joker. He must be living in dream land or back in the 60s where the north truly had the power to decide elections based on population and the divide and rule tactic the British had laid down for them against the south. 2015 will prove to the north once and for all that they no longer control the country and have the monolithic right to power as they claim. Firstly they no longer have the middle belt under them and cannot even claim to have the North firmly under caliphate control as the boko harem issue has proven. Prof my advice to you is to go back to school and start formulating a strategy for getting your largely illiterate northern population to come at par with the rest of the country in terms of intellect; then maybe the rest of the country will see it fit to vote enmasse for a northern candidate. Might no longer makes right in the society we live in. Jonathan will remain president of this country in 2015 (God willing)not because he is doing fantastically well but because of the arrogance being propelled by people like Ango. We've been hearing the same tune(but not dancing) in this country since the advent of the fourth republic and yet the north has still not been able to capture power from the south. Yaradua who got there got there due to the excessive rigging and show of federal might by OBJ as a gesture to the north but God in his infinite mercy has taken it back from them. Mark my words only and until only the north move away from their ethnic,religious politics and start to upgrade the educational and intellectual power of their masses will a northerner ever rule this country again. For all the years they have ruled they do not have anything to show for it and the situation with boko harem is the result of the years of neglect of their past leaders of their impoverished masses.I implore you prof Ango and your fellow northern elites to first start to teach your people how to fish as opposed to giving them fish before thinking of how to lead a nation.As it stands the south has a stronger economy, better equipped man power resource to do without the north; same cannot be said for the North. It is only right that power resides where the greater wealth of this country resides. For crying out loud the north cannot even boast of a young intellectual base of technocrats except for say ribadu and el rufai. You and your northern elite are too old and too feudalistic to ever rule nigeria again(full stop).
ReplyDeleteThe map itself shows that NE is biased! So Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau and Nasarawa States are not part of the north Abi? Why didn't you include them and see how the map will look like?
ReplyDeleteI like that map of the north without the middle belt. The north is shrinking
ReplyDeleteWait for the middle belt to recede themselves from the north, before you can show this type of map. As it is, the middle belt is still part of the north. Population wise, the north is certainly more than the south. The average northerner have 2 - 3 wives and up to 10 children. Then why won't the north outnumber the south? Simple common sense!
ReplyDeleteWe've continued to deceive ourselves,we say ONE NIGERIA,& yet when power is in the hands of a Nigerian from another geopolitical zone,others are uncomfortable especially d north. But if it is in their hands forever,all will be well. Do we need an oracle to tell us why Boko haram suddenly surface at the emergence of GEJ as president. I can bet all I have that if the current president is a Moslem from the North,we wouldn't know anything called boko haram. We want to copy the American federal system but our foolish ideals never letsus. I
ReplyDeleteShould we be more concerned about who rules Nigeria or who will rule Nigeria better or even best. Why don't we divide so this issue of who rules who will reduce or cease to exist.
ReplyDelete