Should power return to the north in 2027?

Saying that the North has only been in power for eleven years since 1999 and that power should return to the North by 2027 is a dangerous argument being made by desperate people.

Nigeria’s independence did not start in 1999. Prior to 1999, Nigeria experienced twenty good years of Northern leadership, with only 83 days in between those twenty years given to the South when Chief Ernest Shonekan headed the ill fated Interim National Government.

In the nineteen years before that, the North enjoyed another fifteen years in power, with only four years to the South comprised of six months for Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and three and a half years for General Olusegun Obasanjo.

In the sixty four years of Nigeria’s existence as an independent nation, the North has been in power for a total of forty six years, versus only eighteen for the South.

If you further break it down to elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, the North has had twenty one years of democratically elected leaders, including six years for Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, four years for President Shehu Shagari, three for President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, and eight for General Buhari.

This is compared to fourteen for the South, with eight years for President Obasanjo, five for President Goodluck Jonathan, and less than two for the incumbent.

The North has also had twenty-five years of military dictatorship, comprising nine years for General Gowon, six months for General Murtala Muhammed, two years for General Buhari, eight years for General Babangida, five years for the butcher, Abacha, and nine months for the blessed General Abdulsalami Abubakar. This is versus only three and a half for the South, and three out of those three and a half years were not even deliberate. If Murtala had not been murdered by his fellow Northerner, all that the South would have had would have been only six months!

Yet, Southern Quislings have the temerity to spew such gobbledygook about the North being shortchanged?

In mathematical ratio, for every year the South has been in power, the North has been at the helm for 2.56 years. And now, Oliver asks for more?

Look, I am a Sokoto boy. True Arewa people know me and my deep, unfeigned love for the North and Islam. Without being a Muslim, I practice more Islamic principles than many people who profess Islam as a religion. And it did not begin with me. My late father was an expert in Sharia Law.

I am the second generation of the perfect Nigerian experiment. My father went to Sokoto as a twenty three year old National Youth Service Corp member and became so entrenched in the North and Islam that he represented the Northwest in the Court of Appeal.

Nobody has a greater stake in Nigeria than my family and I.

If we are talking about equity, the South still has much catching up to do.

For the stability of our nation, it is essential that power rotates between the North and South.

Yes, I supported a Northerner in the previous elections because he won my party’s presidential primary. My hands were tied. But even with tied hands, we made him state publicly that he would do only one term and hand over to his Southern deputy.

As thoroughly useless as General Buhari was, the South did not disturb his eight-year reign. No serious Southerner rose up to challenge him in 2019. 2019 was exactly like 1999, when the rest of the country left the race to the Southwest, specifically General Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae.

Northern Nigeria must not allow itself to be goaded into actions that could have serious ramifications for its political stability. The Southwest is the most pro-Nigerian region of the South. If they feel cheated out of their just desserts in 2027, those behind the action will unwittingly unite the South in calling for a renegotiation of Nigeria’s unity, which will not augur well for unity campaigners like myself.

Nigeria is better together. And Southerners like myself and others know that. But our Northern counterparts should not empower Southern Judases, who have found a breath of fresh air in Kemi Badenoch’s ‘I have nothing in common with Northern Nigeria’ comment.

If Arewa makes that mistake, and Kemi Badenoch should become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, they would have inadvertently created a perfect storm that could lead to the disintegration of Nigeria.

And why even remove President Tinubu? Our economy is growing at 3.46%. Our trade surplus is at a record high of ₦5.81 trillion for the third quarter of 2024. The Federation Account Allocation Committee received an all-time high revenue of ₦3.134 trillion for November. In the area of insecurity, which is likely to be the biggest challenge facing the North, according to the Global Peace Index, Nigeria is less insecure than it was under Buhari.

So, except there is something those paid to float that vacuous argument are not saying, there is no reason for Northern Nigeria to want to change a horse midstream and seek a return of power to the North after just four years of power residing in the South.

By Reno Omokri

Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022.