North And The Crypto-presidency Agenda
The Oasis Reporters
June 6, 2022
By Rotimi Johnson Ojasope
As a regular radio talk show analyst over the years, permit me to delve into the hidden agenda of the northern political elite and the presidential candidates.
I have stated it unequivocally on many radio programs that I do not see Buhari handing over to a Southern President but people read partisan meanings to it; the body language of Mr President, all the appointments and decisions have shown beyond reasonable doubts that President Buhari is the northern President of Nigeria.
The northern elites have shown consistently that the welfare and political relevance of the zone is superior to any Nigerian Dream or agenda. Retaining power in the North unites these people irrespective of partisan divides. The military and security agencies seem to have bought fully into this agenda because about 90% of the security architecture are headed by northerners.
Likewise, most of the parastatals and agencies of the federal government are also headed by northerners and these are appointments with terms for offices and consequently no new President can just resume office and terminate the appointments without big resistance from the region.
I have always known both the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders of northern extraction to have the same agenda. Which is to retain the Presidency in the North but unfortunately, our southern leaders in both parties are too selfish to read between the lines.
The crypto-presidential-agenda is to pitch a strong northern candidate against a weak southern candidate in both parties; in essence, the voting strength and the unity of the North will always play out favourably at the polls.
Though the Southern aspirants in APC are now trying to arrive at a consensus but this is belated because if their PDP counterparts had pulled out of the race when the zoning arrangements were cancelled, it would have given strong signals.
When it comes to elections and the Presidency, the northern elite unite on the issue, which is the overriding interest of the region and the dominant religion which is Islam.
Tinubu who is unquestionably the strongest aspirant, may find difficulties defeating Atiku Abubakar because the northern elite won’t see him as a true Muslim and that’s why he is proposing a northern Muslim as Vice presidential candidate.
Even at that, the Atiku emergence has raised the hope of a northern Presidency already and whoever the APC fields, doesn’t matter anymore. The noise about zoning the presidency to the South is a scam which time is confirming already.
Whether it is Lawan/Amaechi or Osinbajo ticket cannot deliver victory in the next general elections to APC because they can not match the strength of Atiku.
Tinubu that could give a stiff challenge has the ‘religion’ challenge besides the underlying threat of becoming too powerful for the North to control.
Remember the last time a Southern Muslim won a presidential election, it was annulled.
Atiku Abubakar has always been liberal in challenging or condemning the incumbent government and that suggests a hidden understanding because the present administration also doesn’t have occasions to antagonize Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the way one would expect from a foremost opposition figure.
The southern leaders must have a bigger picture, an agenda beyond the Amotekun security network; we must learn to bury our differences at a point for the sake of posterity and in the overall interest of the region. We have gotten to a point of Southern unity Forum and vision to ensure tactical power play in the face of our many diversities.
QUOTE: Never miss an opportunity to see the bigger picture. – Gift Gugu Mona
Written by Rotimi Johnson – Ojasope (ANIPR, FD-CRM).
Public Affairs analyst and regular radio talk show personality.
