What you compromise to get, you compromise to keep. Towards the build up to the 2023 presidential election, after the presidential candidates of political parties were elected, many in the All Progressives Congress (APC) then, were of the opinion that the presidential candidate of APC, a Muslim from the Southwest, should choose a christian from the North to balance the presidential ticket of the party in order to ensure the inclusion, participation and integration of all the religious divides in the governance of Nigeria, in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For the avoidance of doubt, the 1999 constitution states in Section 15(2) that “national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of … religion, … shall be prohibited”. The supreme legal document of Nigeria went on in sub-section (3(d) to instruct the state to have it as a duty to “promote or encourage the formation of associations that cut across ethnic, linguistic, religious and or other sectional barriers”. The constitution was even magnanimous to enunciate the benefits of inclusion of all segments of society in sub-section (4) when it submitted that it “shall foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various people of the Federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties”.
From day one, the 1999 Constitution conceived the institution of the presidency to be an association that must cut across all sectional barriers. The presidency comprises majorly of an elected President and his Vice. Others include non-elected junior staff that facilitate the workings of the presidency. The constitution rightly in Section 142 (1) described the Vice-President as an “associate” of the President that must complement the President in such a manner that will cut across religious barriers. Hear the section, “a candidate for an election to the office of President shall not be deemed to be validly nominated unless he nominates another candidate as his associate from the same political party for his running for the office of President, who is to occupy the office of Vice-President”. We must also admit that the presidency is the symbol of the country in the eyes of the international community and the constitution is emphatic that no political party should conduct its activities in a manner that will make it appear like a religious party. Section 222(e) states, “No association by whatever name called shall function as a party, unless the name of the association, its symbol or logo does not contain any ethnic or religious connotation”.
When Tinubu emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC, he was advised to balance the ticket with a northern Christian, but he rejected the idea. He rather chose a fellow Muslim from the North against every moral and constitutional advice and mandate. Initially, he said he chose based on competence. When that excuse angered and alienated the Christian northerners, he modified his initial stance and opined that it was a winning strategy. As the election got close, APC realised that their strategy was a losing strategy even with their failed attempts at using fake bishops, pastors and priests to shore up their dwindling electoral fortunes. They realised they must manipulate the election to wangle their candidates to power with the connivance of INEC which bypassed the express provisions of the Electoral Act to conduct a sham election adjudged by many, internationally and locally, as the worst election in the history of Nigeria. It’s instructive that even by the allocated votes of INEC to the parties, more voters rejected the same-faith ticket of APC than approved of it. About 15,216,672 (fifteen million, two hundred and sixteen thousand, six hundred and seventy two) voters voted against the same-faith ticket as compared to about 8,794,726 (eight million, seven hundred and ninety four thousand, seven hundred and twenty six) voters who voted in favour of it.
Consequently, APC lost more members in the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly to the extent that it may lose its majority in the House of Representatives to the opposition. The National Vice Chairman of APC (North-West), Mallam Salihu Lukman, on Monday said, for fairness, northern Senators contesting the post of the Senate President should step down. Lukman in a statement titled “Cash and Carry contest for leadership of 10th National Assembly” said “it is therefore very compelling that the Senate President should come from either the South-South or South-East”. While describing the lobbying by the North-West and North-East Senate members for the post of the Senate President as worrisome, he warned against the imposition of another Muslim leader as the Senate President following the outrage that greeted the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his Deputy-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, who share the same faith”. He observed that, “Apart from the clear disregard for national unity and outright disrespect for Nigerians, some of the aspiring candidates for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives are neither concerned about the security and well-being of Nigeria nor are they in any way disturbed about factors that could erode the electoral viability of our party – APC”.
The striking thing about this truth is that if it were spoken by a Christian Southerner or Northerner, some ignorant men will start screaming that he is declaring a religious war. Nigerians must realise that as many Muslims as there are Christians want a peaceful and progressive country that will accommodate all Nigerians and engender the spirit of integration and involvement of everyone. A careful analysis of his observation will indicate that these politicians that disregard the constitution and morality in aspiring to elective positions are not necessarily true Muslims or Christians fighting for the dominance of their faiths or unity of Nigeria, but power grabbers fighting for their self aggrandizement and acting simply to enhance their power, wealth and position. Hear him again, “Apart from the clear disregard for national unity and outright disrespect for Nigerians, .. the aspiring candidates … are neither concerned about the security and well-being of Nigeria nor are they in any way disturbed about factors that could erode the electoral viability of our party – APC”. He is a Muslim from the North-West.
This fact is true starting from the first assault against zoning led by Aminu Tambuwal in 2011 and supported by the Action Congress of Nigeria, led by Tinubu, in which they disobeyed the zoning formula of the PDP then and re-zoned forcefully the post of the Speaker of the House of Representatives from the South-West to the North-West. Tambuwal of North-West took the position meant for Mulikat of South-West. That move, which caused disunity and disaffection among the PDP members, affected the electoral viability of the PDP in the next election and caused their defeat in 2015. Tambuwal defected to the opposition party, APC, to contest for the post of President in 2015 and when he couldn’t grab it, he went to Sokoto and grabbed the post of Governor from the already settled candidate, which led to the arresting of the court of appeal judgment of the Sokoto gubernatorial election petition by the Supreme Court to ensure that Tambuwal was not removed from office as Governor. In 2023, the same Tambuwal was back in the same PDP to contest for President and assisted in disorganising the zoning arrangement that would have zoned the post of the President to the South and eventually led to the defeat of the PDP in the last presidential election. They simply don’t care about the electoral viability of their party in as much as their own personal ambition is secured.
This scenario was repeated in 2015 in the National Assembly both in the Senate and the House of Representatives where the initial zoning were re-zoned from the North-East to the North-Central in the Senate and from the South-West to the North-East in the House of Representatives. Saraki took it from Lawan in the Senate and Dogara took it from Gbajabiamila in the House. All for selfish interest. During the 2019 National Assembly leadership election, South-West produced the Vice-President yet went forward to produce the Speaker also in breach of the equitable zoning formula that would have been fair to all. That unfairness brought the present restiveness in the party.
There’s not much cheering news for the gentlemen seeking for equitable sharing of national assembly leadership position in APC. They have already compromised the equitable balancing of the positions in the presidency and can only get the other positions through compromise. I do not see the power grabbers agreeing to any peaceful settlement of the issue. You don’t negotiate with power grabbers on the issue of power, you defeat them. They can do anything to remain in power. You must issue out the zoning formula immediately before the power grabbers secure loyalties among members. Saying South-South and South-East will still create problems. Zoning must be specific and direct. Each position must be assigned to a zone not two. The party is not on high moral ground to preach religious equity, so it is going to be tough convincing lower rank elected representatives. Ali Ndume has already referred to the Osinbajo/Gbajabiamilla formula as a justification to re-create a Shettima/Ndume NASS leadership formula. Babachir Lawal, former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, warned that if a Muslim-Muslim ticket emerges, North-West will make a bid towards the post of Senate President because of their numerical contribution to the success of the Muslim-Muslim ticket and this will mean fielding another Muslim but the power grabbers refused to listen to him. Now the jungle has matured.
The opposition parties must come together to checkmate the disunity that may proceed from a possible rancorous NASS leadership election by APC to avoid unnecessary shock to the system. They must organise themselves to take over the speakership of the House and if possible the Senate President to provide the needed check and balance to the executive of a failed political party that has become an affliction to Nigeria.