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Tony Osauzo, Benin
Former Senate Chief Whip, Roland Owie, has brought new dimension to the debate on which part of the country should produce the next president in 2023 when President Muhammadu Buhari finishes his second term. He said that power should remain in the North at least for another four years to ensure equity and fairness.
Besides, he said when power eventually shifts to the South, the position should be ceded to the South East region.
Sir Owie explained that his position was hinged on the fact that the South had produced more presidents than the North since 1999. This, he said, was a result of the sudden death of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua and the decision of Goodluck Jonathan to contest after he finished the tenure of Yar’Adua.
“The problem we have in Nigeria, particularly those of us from the southern part is that we are sometimes not realistic and we forget that if we are going to equity, we must go with clean hands. Presidency came from South West with Obasanjo even though he lost his unit, lost his booth, his local government and the entire zone. But he became president of Nigeria and did eight years even though he was trying to take a third term. Then the thing shifted to the North and produced Yar’Adua, one of the best presidents Nigeria has ever had…
“Yar’Adua died and Jonathan took over and finished the remaining years in the tenure and took another four years. If there were no greedy leaders, I knew what I said in our South-south leaders’ meeting that Jonathan should allow somebody from the North run for the presidency since age was on his side. And when it rotates back to the South South, he can still run but those who felt that they owned PDP, who were not there when PDP was formed, lured the man and pushed him to go for a third term.
“Today, when you calculate after Buhari’s tenure expires in 2023, the North will have four years, 244 days to complete their quota of the presidency. So, it is not the turn of the South yet. When there is no justice, there can’t be peace.
“So, the slot for 2023 is for the North and when the thing finishes, the presidency will come to the South and then should go to South East.”
He gave reasons the Presidency should be ceded to the South East when it rotates to the South.
“It is the Southeasterners that are making this country remain united.
“Go to every part of the 36 states of the federation, after the indigenes, the next most populated group are the Igbo. When presidency comes back to the South, it should go to South East, not South West or South South.
“However, the only thing we are going to talk about is that power should now return to the South after the next four years post 2023, so whichever party is fielding a candidate in 2023, that candidate must be willing and ready to sign that he will do four years and then the 244 days can be sorted out through a doctrine of necessity probably by compensating them with appointments.”
According to Senator Owie, as far back as 1983, there was already plan that the presidency should go to the South East after the second term of Alhaji Shehu Shagari before military truncated the second republic.
“Quite frankly, I was the Edo State coordinator for Ekwueme ahead of the PDP’s presidential primaries. It was clear, power was going to shift to the East because when Shagari came in 1979 and did four years and he came in 1983, it was not negotiable that by the time he finishes his second term, the presidency will go to the South, and go to the South East. By all standards, everybody was looking up to late Ekwueme that he would take that slot. Unfortunately, the evil carriers, the military came and truncated that regime in 1984 and so the plans could not materialise.”
