Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger state, believes President Bola Tinubu should be allowed to serve a second term in office under the power rotation gentleman’s agreement.
BACKGROUND
Since 1999, when Nigeria returned to civilian administration, the presidency has alternated between the north and south every eight years.
However, Umaru Yar’Adua’s death in 2010 briefly defied the tendency, with southerner Goodluck Jonathan completing the former’s term before gaining a new term a year later.
Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, was elected president in 2015 and will serve two eight-year terms ending in 2023. Bola Tinubu, from the southwest, became Buhari’s successor in 2023.
Tinubu’s first term would end in 2027.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, a northern Muslim, is expected to run for president of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2027, succeeding Tinubu.
The opposition coalition has lately accepted the ADC platform.
‘ADC SHOULD NOT CREATE PROBLEMS FOR THE NORTH’
Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Thursday, Aliyu stated that northerners seeking power in 2027 through the ADC platform would cause difficulties for the north.
“I have heard many of the presidential aspirants (in ADC) already saying they will serve one term,” according to him.
“What issue does a northerner create for the north if he claims to be serving only one term?
“Let’s attempt to bear the late Muhammadu Buhari for eight years. Perhaps by 2031, we will be able to abandon the arrangement if we find it comfortable.
“Currently, only governors and lawmakers are defecting. By 2031, you may have a presidential defection. Isn’t this a constitutional issue?
“So, for me, who wins the election will be determined by what occurs over the next year and a half.
“And that is to say, if the government can correct some of the observable anomalies, I don’t see a problem.”
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With the possibility of the ADC unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu, Aliyu challenged opposition parties to propose realistic alternatives.
“My argument has always been: what is the alternative? What if you want to remove this or that government, governor, or president? What is the option that you are providing to the people?” he inquired.
‘Communication Gap’
Aliyu also claimed that there is a large communication gap between the government and citizens.
He noted that government officials have been either reluctant or ineffective in communicating milestones to the public.
The chairman of the board of trustees of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) stated that many government departments and institutions have performed admirably, but the public is mainly ignorant.
“You cannot rely just on the Ministry of Information to interact with citizens. “Every minister and head of a parastatal should be able to tell the people what they have been doing,” he stated.
“In other words, the government must be more of an advocate.
“What we have seen so far is that the government is doing well, but they do not, or the government does not know how to communicate very well.”
