Those saying zoning is not good for Nigeria for the 2023 elections are people who at the national, state and local government levels form majority groups who want to continue to dominate providing the president, state governors and council chairmen. But it is pure selfishness for a politician to campaign for the zoning of the presidency at the national stage and do the opposite at the state or local government levels for governorship and council chairmanship.

I had about ten years ago in this column advocated that the country’s constitution should be amended for the presidency to rotate among the six zones in the country, the North – West, North – East, North – Central, South – West, South – East and South – South and that it is when we have done this that we can decide to do away with the arrangement or continue with it.

Nigeria became independent 51 years ago, on October 1, 1960 with effective authority being with the Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, a non – Fulani and Igbo – born Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as ceremonial president. But the most powerful under the system was Fulani – born, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and leader of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), the ruling party in the North and Nigeria.

The First Republic lasted five years, four and a half – months as it collapsed on January 14, 1966 when four Major Igbo officers and Ikorodu – born Major Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba man, staged a coup with the military taking over power on the following day. But it was Igbo – born General Thomas Aguiyi – Ironsi, the head of the military who became the Head of State, not the leader of the plotters.

He was overthrown in a revenge coup six months later by northern – born Majors who installed the Chief – Of – Army Staff and most senior northern – officer, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon from minority group in the North – Central, as his replacement. He was Head of State for almost nine years from August 1, 1966 – July 28, 1975. He was removed by Major Murtala Ramat Mohammed and his group who installed him in July 1966.

Major Mohammed from Kano State who succeeded him on July 29, 1975 was assassinated in abortive coup on February 13, 1976 by officers led by Lt. Colonel Sukar Dimka who were believed to have wanted to re-instate Gowon, who had become a General when he Head of State.

But since they failed Mohammad’s deputy Abeokuta – born, Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded his boss and ruled until September 30, 1975 when he handed – over on October 1, 1979 to Sokoto State – born President Shehu Shagari who was elected in August that year. He was overthrown on December 31, 1983 by Kastina State – born General Muhammadu Buhari.

He was toppled by General Ibrahim Babangida from Niger State on August 28, 1985, ruling until August 27, 1993. In January 1993 he announced there will be a presidential election on June 12 that year. Chief Moshood Abiola, my employer at Concord Press of Nigeria entered the race that month and I took his matter to Almighty God to help stop Fulani domination of the nation’s politics. The Lord accepted if He would do all He told him to carry out.

These were that he would agree to use the 41 Muslim cleris He would raise in Ado – Ekiti to fast for 41 days for him to win the primaries of the Social Democratic Party in March. He would provide them with two white cows, one to be slaughtered on the first day and the other one on the last day and after winning the poll have them a generous thanksgiving offering. Abiola agreed and carried them out.

He repeated the exercise for the June 12 presidential election. But on hearing he had won in the evening of June 13 Abiola said his popularity and the huge amount of money he spent gave victory. Instead of the three thousand naira he sent to each of the 41 clerics in March, he reduced it to one thousand naira per person.

This annoyed the Heavenly Father who caused the election to be annulled on June 23, 1993. The crisis created by the annulment forced Babangida to step aside on August 22, replaced by Chief Ernest Sogunle Sonekan, from Abiola’s Abeokuta town, whom he hand – picked for the office. Eighty – two days later he was forced to leave by General Sani Abacha, the Chief of Defence Staff.

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He took – over on November 16, 1993 with Odogbolu, Ijebu – born, Lt. General Oladipo Diya as his Deputy. Abacha removed him in December 1997 claiming he was planning a putsch to overthrow him. Abacha was Head of State until June 8, 1998 when he died as a result of what was believed to be heart – attack.

He was succeeded the following day by Chief of Defence Staff, General Abdulsalami Abubakar who returned the country to civil rule on May 29, 1999 with General Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as elected President. The military was believed to have arranged his return to make – up for the death of his Abeokuta – born Chief Abiola who won the June 12, 1993 presidential election but which was annulled by General Babangida and who died in detention in 1998.

After Obasanjo Nigeria returned to rotating the presidency with the office zoned to the North and with Mr. Umar Yar’Adua from Katsina State elected as his successor. But when he died in office three years into his tenure, his Deputy, Vice – President Goodluck Jonathan from Bayelsa State in the South – South after serving out his last one year disrupted the orderly arrangement. He used the power of incumbency to prevent the North – West from providing the candidate for the zone’s second term in 2011. Thus, he was elected for what was his own first tenure from 2011 – 15, but the northerners using their population power made sure he did not have a second term.

With that the PDP which he had been ruling for 16 years (1999 – 2015) lost power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with General Muhammadu Buhari becoming the President on May 29, 2015. He had in 2003, 2007 and 2011 as the candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) popular only in the North lost in all the elections.

But he was able to win in 2015 when the CPC allied with the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) led by Yoruba – born Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The North – West where Buhari comes from is the most populated zone in the country, followed by the South – West.

This means after Buhari’s presidency in 2023, with the agreement reached with the CAN in 2015 Tinubu will be the candidate of the APC and his likely successor. Especially as all monarchs in Yoruba land, the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo and other traditional rulers in the zone, Christians and Muslims, and their people have declared support for him.

It is Dr. Jonathan that the people of the South – East, the North – East and North – Central should blame for postponing until a later date when the presidency will come to their zones. Because if Jonathan had allowed the North to produce PDP presidential candidate in 2011, the term would have ended in 2015.

Then Jonathan could have had his second tenure from 2015 – 19. And with the Igbo as committed members of the PDP given the opportunity to produce the president after him from 2019 – 2027. Or if zoning is strictly adhered to take it to North – East from North – Central from 2019 – 2027 and to the South – East in 2027 – 2035 and finally to the North – Central or North – East from 2035 – 2043.

But with the APC now in control in Nigeria after Buhari in 2023, the president will come to the South – West in 2023 – 2031 and return to the North (North – Central or North – East) from 2031 – 2039. And maybe to the South – South in 2039 – 2047, then back to the last zone in the North that had not produced the President and finally South – East from 2051 – 2059.

But I remember that last month that Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, a former Governor of Anambra State, said Almighty God told him that an Igbo man will succeed Buhari in 2023. So, we also have to wait and see if such a miracle will happen.