Battle For Presidency: Why North should wait till 2027, by Ogbemudia

By Simon Ebegbulem

The battle between the North and the South-south over 2015 presidency took a twist as a two-time former governor of the defunct Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, said the North has no claim to power until 2027.

Ogbemudia argued that the North’s right to the presidency would be valid after the South-south would have completed eight years, and the South-east taken its turn of eight years.

He acknowledged that South-west set the precedent when former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo, from the zone, did eight years at Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

The Professor Ango Abdullahi-led Northern  Elders Forum (NEF) has been at the forefront of the agitation for power to return to the North in 2015 on the grounds that the region was short-changed when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who assumed office in 2007, died midway into his tenure, andPresident Goodluck Jonathan, his deputy from the South-south, succeededhim.

Jonathan not only completed Yar’Adua’s tenure as president but also secured re-election in 2011.

The bone of contention now is whether he should proceed on second term in 2015 or power should revert to the North.
Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State claimed there was a gentleman’s agreement with the North that Jonathan will serve one term only to enable the region  return to power in  2015.

“The South-west came in, in 1999 and served for eight years. The South-south should also do eight years. And the truth is that the South-east is also entitled to the presidency when the South-south must have finished its eight years,” Ogbemudia contended.

The former governor and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke in an interview with Sunday Vanguard.