A Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina have won the 2022 Qatar World Cup on penalties.

The team scored two goals in first half but France equalised with a brace from Mbappe. Messi appeared to have had the last laugh with a third goal until Mbappe scored a hat-trick via penalty.

Both teams had chances to win in extra time but the game stretched to penalties where Argentina scored four and France lost two.

Details Shortly…

•Say CBN’s policy will hurt rural dwellers

•Claim cash limit may set masses against president

State governors are pitching their tent with those opposed to the  N100,000 cash limit recently imposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

They believe  the policy will hurt the economy and rural dwellers in particular.

They  also fear that  the CBN action may set the masses against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari,and could constitute an unpalatable exit package for him when his second term expires on May 29, 2023.

Consequently, they have resolved  to send a delegation to the President to direct the CBN to review the  policy, according to an investigation by The Nation.  The  Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) met  on Thursday in Abuja to deliberate on the matter and take appropriate decision. A source at the session said the governors also resolved to appeal to Buhari to retain the prevailing  cash withdrawal limits in the country and extend the January 30th, 2023 deadline for the phasing out of the  redesigned Naira notes.

“Our decision was across party lines. We were all united that the policy will adversely affect the poor in the rural areas which Buhari administration seeks to protect,” the source said.

He added:”With  likely job losses of about 1.4million by POS operators, there is no way the rural populace can survive this policy. It is like bringing down the ceiling on the economy.

“It is becoming ridiculous that some banks now issue out as low as  N2,000 to a customer. Also, no matter how influential you are, banks may only give N200, 000 new notes under the table.

“As governors, we are closer to the grassroots more than the President. This policy may set the masses against Buhari. It is not a good exit package from a President who has enjoyed the confidence of the masses.”

Another governor also said: “We agreed to beg the President to have a rethink and retain the status quo cash limits to save the economy.

“Having tried his best to salvage this economy, no individual should ruin Buhari’s achievements with a stroke of the pen.

“The CBN policy is unpopular but those profiting from it do not want him to see the other side of the coin.”

A governor from the North-East said: “The NGF opted to send a delegation to the President to tell him our feelings and the implications of the CBN policy on the economy.

“For instance, we also recommended that the new notes should be in operation side by side with the old notes for about six months.

“There is too much confusion at the grassroots. It is just unfortunate that the CBN has led us to this level.

“In a country with low access to banks in rural areas and high illiteracy, how do you implement a cashless policy? Already, the middle class is gone and now some people somewhere are out to neutralise the poor class.

“The implication is that crime rate will be higher. Can we afford this? No.

“We want audience with the President. If possible, let the CBN Governor be there. We will lay all the cards on the table and what the nation should do to save the economy from collapse.”

Asked if the governors chose to gang up against the CBN because of lack of access to illicit funds for campaign, the source responded: “Not at all. Governors from all the parties opposed the policy at our meeting.”

“We are talking of the survival of a country; you are attributing our position to the 2023 polls which will come and go.

“After the 2023 polls, the political class can effect changes in CBN. So, at any point, those in charge of the apex bank cannot have the last laugh. There will be life after the elections.

“We believe that they have not told the truth to the President. The CBN’s action is anti-people but the President is pro-people. This is an indication that something is wrong somewhere.”

Some other Nigerians and institutions including the two chambers of the National Assembly had earlier asked the CBN to review the cash withdrawal limit policy immediately, citing the danger it portends for the economy and the generality of Nigerians.

On Friday the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN) sent a petition to President Buhari calling for the suspension of the policy to save 1.4million bank agents from losing their means of livelihood.

On the same day the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) said in a statement that

CBN’s insistence on implementing the policy would lead to a catastrophic collapse of the informal sector of the economy.

The forum said while the CBN might mean well for the country with the policy, it “evidently failed to consider the unintended consequences of implementing it in the way they have planned; consequences that may be extremely grave.”

It said: “If the CBN insists on implementing this wholly unrealistic policy of restricting individual’s cash withdrawal from the banks to N20,000 per day and N100,000 for a week or N500,000 in the case of corporate bodies, it won’t be long before we suffer a catastrophic collapse of the informal sector of the economy. More than anyone, CBN knows that transactions in commodity markets especially in the rural areas are entirely cash based.

“The villager that brings to the market his chickens, beans, onions, goat or cows does not typically have a bank account or internet skills. Cash remains the overwhelming medium of exchange for much of the country particularly in the North. This should surprise no one as bank offices are largely unavailable even for people who are keen and have the skills to use them.

“Even by the CBN’s reports, over 38 million adults in Nigeria do not currently have access to banking services with “women, rural dwellers, Micro-Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Northern Nigeria” being among the most disproportionately excluded. And despite its pious pretensions, it is on record that the CBN under the present management, apparently out of desire to safeguard the interests of the commercial banks, has done much to undermine and stifle the progress of financial inclusion in Nigeria.”

•Islamic body endorses Tinubu for President
•Nigerians won’t accept your lies, APC tells PDP

State governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) pledged yesterday to deliver the party’s flag bearer in the February 25,2023 election , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s next president.

Tinubu’s victory, according to the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF),will be its special birthday gift to Buhari who turned 80 yesterday.

An Islamic group – Jam’iyatul Ansarul Deeni Attijjaniya –simultaneously endorsed Tinubu for the presidential race.

The PGF,in a goodwill   message to Buhari on his birthday  hailed his doggedness and unwavering determination in defending and securing Nigeria as a prosperous and democratic country.

Chairman of the forum and Kebbi State Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu ,speaking , acknowledged Buhari’s   ”leadership, vision and commitment to moving our dear nation forward” and said the President’s  doggedness and unwavering determination to defend and secure Nigeria as a prosperous and democratic country “have immeasurably stabilised and restored confidence in our electoral process and party politics.”

He added: “Leaders and members of our party, All Progressives Congress (APC) are grateful to have your inspiring leadership role. Accordingly, our party has continued to evolve and both management of party administration and processes of candidates’ emergence are improving, which is responsible for the higher electoral advantages we have compared to other parties in the country. This accounts for the massive support of Nigerians for all our candidates for the 2023 elections at all levels.

“As we wish you a happy birthday and say a big thank you for your selfless service to our dear country, we reaffirm our commitment to work for the electoral victory of all our candidates for the 2023 elections.

”We are working hard with abiding faith and belief to ensure that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our Presidential Candidate emerges victorious and succeeds you.

“Your patriotically inspiring leadership remains the source of our massive support across every part of Nigeria.”

Jam’iyatul Ansarul Deeni Attijjaniya endorses Tinubu for President

The Jam’iyatul Ansarul Deeni Attijjaniya,during its 5th  annual national world Maulud of the Prophet Muhammad  held in Minna,Niger State,threw its weight behind Tinubu ahead of  the February presidential election.

Sheikh Halifa Mohammed  led other sheikhs of the influential  sect in making the endorsement. They said Tinubu would be able to improve the economic development of Nigeria and improve the social status of Nigerians.

Halifa Mohammed is the grandson of the founder of the  group, Shehu Ibrahim Inyass.

Tinubu appreciated the endorsement of the Jam’iyatul Ansarul Deeni Attijjaniya and assured the leaders and members that he would not disappoint them if  he became president.

The Emir of Minna, Dr Farouk Bahago prayed for the successful conduct of the 2023 general elections as he urged the people to shun violence and electoral misconduct.

Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello who spoke in the same vein urged politicians to call their supporters to order and discourage them from engaging in electoral violence.

He noted that every transition period comes with a lot of difficulties, challenges, backbiting and rumor mongering, stressing that the 2023 elections would  be peaceful if everyone in the electoral process played his role well.

Special prayers were said for Tinubu and the successful conduct of the 2023 elections by the Imams during the Maulud.

The event  which took place  at the Polo ground ,Minna ,had in attendance Tinubu, Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, Kano State Governor  Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,  Minister of State for  Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, the Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Alhaji  Sani Musa, the Emir of Minna, Dr Farouk Bahago, former Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Oladimeji Bankole, Niger APC governorship candidate, Honorable Umar Bago and others.

Tinubu had arrived in Minna on Friday evening ahead of the ceremony.

Nigerians won’t accept your lies, APC tells PDP

The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the APC said yesterday that  attempts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar to de-market the achievements of the governing party would  not work, as Nigerians won’t give in to their lies.

The council also said that all surreptitious moves by the opposition to rewrite what it called an  ugly past that plundered the country into the abyss of suffering would  hit the rocks.

The Director, Media and Publicity of the campaign council, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement  in  Abuja said   recent slanderous utterances by PDP leaders and its presidential candidate against the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari were not only insulting but an abuse of the collective intelligence of Nigerians.

His words:”Having consistently shown a lack of capacity for introspection, PDP leaders have been going about the country slandering the All Progressives Congress-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari, believing that as Nigerians we have forgotten their atrocious era and that we are unappreciative ignoramuses.

“Notably Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party that once contemplated changing its brand name because of its atrocious record, has been emboldened by our assumed forgetfulness as a nation, mounting podiums and trying to deodorise and beautify the party’s ugly era.”

It faulted   Atiku blaming the APC for the emergence of Boko Haram, and argued  that the insurgents emerged in 2009 under the  watch of the PDP.

”He (Atiku) blamed Buhari over the economic challenges, forgetting that he opportunistically joined the coalition that toppled the clueless PDP government of President Jonathan when the economy was nose-diving,” he said.

“Atiku has now been joined by Abubakar Saraki, the failed Senate President who in his latest comment in Ilorin,  urged Nigerians to ‘go back to the PDP at both the state and the national levels’. In the famous words of Dino Melaye, we say ‘PDP: God forbid’ “.

The APC PCC argued that in a sane society, PDP should not be canvassing for votes to be returned to office, when during their 16 years in power, they laid the foundation for the challenges we face today.

”Let us not forget what the party of looters did to our treasury, depleting foreign reserves to $28 billion by May 2015, even though a record N75 trillion flowed into the treasury from oil sales alone, with almost nothing to show.

“Let us not forget that the party of looters nurtured the conditions that led to the emergence of Boko Haram on our soil and it was so clueless about how to deal with the menace as our cities and people were bombed and maimed by Boko Haram terrorists.

”Let us not forget that for six years, the PDP allowed the insurgents to declare a Caliphate on our soil, controlling 17 local governments in Borno State and four in Adamawa, making Atiku unable to go to Jada, his hometown.

”Let us not forget that the PDP left our infrastructure decrepit, highways impassable after allotted money to contractors had been shared by party stalwarts.

”Let us not forget that this party now posing as recovery agents had already grounded our country and made our economy comatose before Buhari took over on 29 May 2015.

”Let us not forget that the two poorest states in our country, Sokoto and Bayelsa are states being governed by the PDP in the last 8 years.”

However, the APC-PCC noted that in the past seven and a half years, the Buhari-led administration has been trying to clear the mess left by the PDP predecessors.

The council said, “Despite the challenges faced on the economic front, among which is dwindling revenue exacerbated by oil theft, the government has been able to showcase many game-changing projects.

”One of them, which temporarily opened on 15 December, is the Second Niger Bridge. The PDP promised the Southeast states and Ifeanyi Okowa’s Delta State that it would do the bridge. For 16 years, the party made one empty promise after another. Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 decided to take on the project. He awarded it all over again and in record time the 1.6 kilometres long bridge is ready. And it comes with other ancillary infrastructure including a 10.3 km  highway, a bypass to Owerri and a toll station at Obosi.”

The campaign council   promised Nigerians that its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, would  build on Buhari’s legacy, improve the economy and the security situation, declaring to PDP that,  “Nigerians have rejected you (PDP) and our people will not buy your lies again!”

•Wike flays campaigners linking him with Rivers violence
•Gombe crisis worsens as members dump PDP for APC, NNPP

Fresh efforts by the camp of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji  Atiku Abubakar, to woo Rivers State Governor,  Nyesom Wike, and other PDP governors in the G5  into the Presidential Campaign Committee of the party, suffered a hitch, during the week, The Nation learnt.

But an ally of Atiku,Mr.Dino Melaye is optimistic of a truce between the two sides soon,even as Wike yesterday took a swipe at some of Atiku’s loyalists in his state who he said were linking him to  political violence.

The Nation gathered yesterday that latest peace talks between the Atiku camp and Wike’s supporters stalled partly because  of   the intense rivalry  in the Benue State chapter of the party between the state Governor Sam Ortom and the PDP National Chairman,Dr.Iyorchia Ayu.

Ortom is an ally of Wike and Ayu,a strong supporter of Atiku.

Wike and his colleagues in the G5 are demanding  Ayu’s resignation as chairman as condition for peace.

Sources said a   scheduled meeting of the conciliators and  chieftains of the Integrity Group failed to hold during the week.

The Nation gathered that following growing concerns from many quarters within and outside the opposition party that Atiku may not win the 2023 presidential election without the support of the aggrieved governors and their supporters, the leadership of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council agreed that fresh efforts should be made to appeal to Wike and others to join the campaign in the interest of the party. Atiku, who had earlier resolved to move on with his campaign without the G5 governors, was convinced to support the proposed reconciliation effort. Some governors of the party were saddled with the assignment.

One of them is  Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, who is also the Director-General of Atiku’s presidential campaign.

Tambuwal had  met with some members of the Integrity Group two weeks ago. The Nation also gathered that Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State and  Atiku’s running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, also made overtures to some of the aggrieved governors and their supporters, in a bid to end the face-off and have the angry party members back in the mainstream of the party ahead of the February 2023 presidential election.

Sources said apart from urging Ortom to support Atiku’s ambition, Tambuwal during his meeting with the Benue State governor, pleaded with him to  persuade other members of the G5 and their supporters.

“Internal party wrangling is  normal and what we have been having is not a war of attrition but disagreement,” Tambuwal said at the end of the meeting.

Continuing, he said: “We, even in our families, have reasons to disagree several times and even come back stronger. So, it’s a work in progress. We are interested in bringing everybody together and working together.”

Ortom,responding ,said: “The leadership of this party has failed in taking advantage of the challenges of the party and make it stronger. They have failed to do this.

“Rather, it is arrogance, it is nonchalant attitude. Nobody has cared to reach out to us even when we voiced out that things weren’t going well. For me, I commend him (Tambuwal) for taking this step to visit me and we have discussed my opinion on how I think this matter can be resolved and I believe that as a leader and as DG of the campaign, he will do the needful because I am not alone.”

Meanwhile, The Nation gathered that Tambuwal’s visit did not achieve much as supporters of the Benue State Governor rejected any talk of reconciliation with Ayu and his allies in the state.

A source conversant with the dispute said: “Senator Ayu is the problem and Tambuwal saw things for himself when he came. He was shown the many atrocities being committed by the National Chairman and his people here in Benue. “How do you reconcile us with such people? The problem has been localised by Ayu and his people and it will be difficult to solve.

“That is why the follow up meeting promised by Tambuwal did not take place.”

The Nation also gathered that other parleys held as part of the renewed peace move were deadlocked as members of the G5 and their supporters allegedly insisted on the resignation of Ayu as a condition for  reconciliation talks. Consequently, Tambuwal and others in search of reconciliation within the PDP are said to currently be in a fix as they do not know what to do next given Atiku’s position that removing Ayu at a time like this is not in the interest of the party.

Wike, Ortom and governors  Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, are unrelenting in their demand for Ayu’s exit as PDP national chairman.

Some of the prominent PDP leaders that have openly identified with the aggrieved governors  are former governors Olusegun Mimiko from Ondo State, Ayo Fayose from Ekiti State, Donald Duke from Cross River State, Jonah Jang from Plateau State and former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George from Lagos State. Others are former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke; Deputy National Chairman South of the PDP, Taofeek Arapaja; Senator Nasif Suleiman, Nnena Ukeje, Senator Sandy Onor, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Cross River State, and Senator Mao Ohuabunwa.

Wike flays Atiku’s campaigners for linking him to violence in Rivers

Governor  Wike yesterday  lambasted some Atiku campaigners  in Rivers State – Lee Maeba, Austin Opara and Abiye Sekibo – for allegedly linking  him to political violence.

The governor said that  in all his political journey  the use of violence has never been part of measures adopted to achieve his  goals.

Wike, according to a statement  by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, spoke when he inaugurated the Okrika Founder’s Park  in Koniju Ama in Okrika Local Government Area.

Wike said it was unfortunate that someone like  Senator Lee Maeba could  accuse him of violence.

He wondered why  Maeba would allege that political thugs were sent by him to invade his house

He said: “Two days again, I was watching on TV.It’s unfortunate, I saw Lee Maeba, I saw Austin Opara,I saw Abiye Sekibo saying  that my humble self, sent people to Lee Maeba’s house to attack him, to kill him. I couldn’t believe it.

“But you saw the Commissioner of Police’s report. He said, listen, your house is surrounded by houses, you have two gates to your house, not one gate was damaged, not one.

“The cars you said that were damaged are rickety cars, no brand new cars were  touched. Have you ever seen such?”

He, however, said  instead of playing politics of violence, he would rather resort to legal means to seek redress.

He said: “But you see, I laugh. I said God, well, you know the truth. But people are pushing politics too far. I am sleeping , you are waking me up. When I wake , whatever you see you take.

“Please, advise our people not to play the kind of politics they are playing. Let’s play decent politics. Anybody who knows me knows too well, my own is: if I want to fight you, I don’t need to send anybody, I will go to court.”

Wike hailed  Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka, who meant well for his people and chose to invest  personal resources in providing  the Founder’s Park.

He noted that with such gesture, Chief Amiesimaka had distinguished himself  from those who used their political positions to enrich themselves instead of ensuring construction of the ring road in Okrika.

Gombe PDP crisis worsens as more members jump ship

The crisis rocking the PDP in Gombe State is worsening by the day with more members defecting to the APC and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

The floodgate of defections was opened last weekend when popular politician and runner up in the state  PDP primary, Jamilu Gwamna,  left for the APC.

More members of the PDP, however, left yesterday for the NNPP.

Confirming the development in an interview, PDP Publicity Secretary, Malam Muritala Usman Kumo, accusing the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Jibrin Barde, of  resorting to divide and rule tactics after winning the party primary.

He feared that the crisis would have an adverse effect on the chances of Atiku in the state.

He said:”Yes, the crisis in Gombe PDP will affect Atiku to some extent, although it will not stop him from winning the state.

“Before this crisis in the PDP, we were sure that the APC would not  get even 10 percent in the state but now I don’t think so with the way things are falling apart and people are leaving the party every day for  the APC  and NNPP.

“Take for instance, a former gubernatorial aspirant, Jamilu Gwamna, the zonal secretary of the party, Kabiru Bapajaro of and the former Deputy Governor, Charles Iliya, have all left the party for APC due to the nonchalant attitude of our candidate. This thing has to be addressed once and for all. Let us see how we can build confidence in the minds of party faithful and electorates in order to ensure that we win the election.”

To the credit of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors from the North, the zoning quagmire in the ruling party was somehow resolved ahead of its primary in Abuja in June. Governors Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau), Babagana Umara Zulum (Borno), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), and Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger) reasoned that if a particular region continued to dominate the Presidency, there would be ill feelings among the others.

They, therefore, took a patriotic stand on how to unite a diverse country thirsty for equity, after a deep reflection on national history.

Hitherto, the polity had been enveloped in anxiety, following the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum during their meetings in Lagos and Asaba (Delta State) that power should shift from North to South. The resolution was not a threat. The argument canvassed by the Southern governors, observers noted, was logical. Sensing that over-monopolisation of power could heighten rivalry and animosity between the North and South, they appealed to the conscience of their northern counterparts to strike a critical balance between the interests of both regions.

Some questions were raised, and answers to them spurred the governors from both regions to embrace reality.

Why should the Presidency remain in a region for 16 years, or why should another northerner succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, who will bow out in 2023 after two terms of eight tears? Why should anti-zoning curators, who have embraced the principles of federal character, quota system and catchment area, be unwilling to embrace the conventional reality of presidential zoning or power rotation?

The endorsement of zoning by APC governors in the North was strategic. The move may have restored confidence between the North and the South. It also has the potential of reducing mutual suspicion while ensuring national unity and guaranteeing political stability.

The pro-zoning stance has sounded the death knell of the “Born to Rule” shibboleth, the age-long slogan of entitlement and bombastic disposition premised on the supposed numerical strength the North has consistently used to its advantage and against other sections of the country.

Drama unfolded on the eve of the primary at the Eagle Square in Abuja. There was tension as information filtered in about the strange endorsement of Senate President Ahmad Lawan, an aspirant from the North, by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Northern APC governors moved swiftly to Aso Villa, where the President told them that it was fake news. The coast thus became clear for them to vigorously pursue the power shift agenda in the party.

To analysts, the bold move halted the feeling of alienation by the South. It has expanded the horizon of inclusive politics and participation, and rekindled a sense of belonging among all the geo-political entities.

Under the Nigerian brand of presidential system, governors, like the President, are powerful. Whenever they come together to pursue a course of action in their respective political parties, they are almost unstoppable. It is now evident that governors can as well use their vantage positions to correct certain awful conditions and steer the country from the brink.

At the state level, observers have described them as lords of the manor with the power of possessing the yam and the knife. They can use their powers to influence issues and go scot free because of their combined powers of incumbency and immunity, the gargantuan party structure they lean upon, and the huge resources at their disposal.

Also, at the zonal level, a governors’ forum is an influential bloc meant for the promotion of personal, group and regional interests. Sometimes, in pursuit of their own agenda, they may become blind to other realities.

The governors’ forum is a close-knit body. However, in this electioneering, the northern APC governors could be described as a club dedicated to the promotion of national understanding and cohesion, as underscored by their position on the zoning of the presidential ticket.

Without a dissenting voice beyond Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s initial euphoria and Lawan’s feeble attempt, northern APC governors unanimously took a progressive stand,  strengthened the bond of unity in the ruling party and erased the fear of exclusion, domination and marginalisation among the nation’s diverse ethnic groups constituting the fragile federation.

The rare display of courage, patriotism and sacrifice was critical to the repositioning of the polity during those critical moments. Indeed, a precedent was set on how best to scale the zoning hurdle at a difficult time. Ultimately, the governors became the heroes of inclusive politics, democratic consolidation, national unity, fairness, and justice.

Unlike their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts, APC governors were sensitive to the mortal dangers and obstacles to peaceful co-existence that zoning the presidency to the North could cause.

Zoning is among the essential factors that have continued to shape the outcome of periodic presidential elections. Those who discredited the conventional arrangement only tried to heat up the polity. The consequence was indignation.

The antagonists of zoning believe that merit, rather than rotation, should be the critical factor. But the belief is that zoning or power rotation also takes cognisance of merit as a significant factor by throwing up “presidential assets” from a particular region at a given time.

Indisputably, all the regions are endowed. There is no lopsided distribution of talents across the geo-political zones. Competent Nigerians who can serve as president abound across the six regions. The fear is that if regional numerical strength is perpetually deployed in a multi-ethnic polity during shadow polls and general elections, equity may be destroyed and smaller regions would remain marginalised.

The result is the dictatorship of numbers, disillusionment by the minority and loss of a sense of attachment.

Besides, zoning is, fundamentally, a party matter. Some observers have submitted that the 1999 Constitution upholds the right of every Nigerian to aspire to any elective position in the country. This cannot be faulted. But there is also an emphasis on equity, fairness and justice in the Constitution, being the ground norm and regulator of political relationships.

However, the constitutions of APC and PDP also tend to support the push for zoning. The APC constitution states that “without prejudice to Article 20 (2)(iii) of this constitution, the National Working Committee (NWC) shall, subject to approval of the National Working Committee, make rules and regulations for the nomination of candidates through primary elections”.

It adds: “All such rules, regulations and guidelines shall take into consideration and uphold the principle of federal character, gender balance, geo-political spread and rotation of offices, to as much as possible, ensure balance within the constituency covered.”

For the presidential poll, Nigeria is the constituency. If states, senatorial districts, federal constituencies and local governments can adopt zoning, why should the country shy away from rotating the number one office in the land from region to region?

The zoning controversy underscores a serious problem. The background to the struggle for power is that the Presidency has not become a unifying factor. It is lamentable that Nigerians harbour the peculiar feeling that only a few among past leaders had exhibited the required national outlook and their successors will always mirror their style.

Nigeria is a marriage of incompatible social formations lumped together by British interlopers. Its federalism is premised on unitarism. The distribution of power and resources is skewed. The tribes are many, always at each other’s throats. Their differences are pronounced. The races do not subscribe to the same religion, values and expectations. There is fear of domination and marginalisation. There is permanent suspicion among them.

To mitigate the conflict, the idea of treading the “turn by turn” path is logical, essential, persuasive and convincing. It seems to make zoning or power rotation between the North and the South a plausible strategy to reassure the regional units that they are not excluded.

The northern APC governors have plausible reasons for queuing behind the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Although the APC candidate is a Southerner, the governors believe that he is a bridge builder who they have seen in action. They believe in his capacity to be fair to all, having presided over a government of inclusion as governor of Lagos State. They recall that he was a partner in their quest for power shift to the North in 2015 and 2019.

Thus, their support for zoning, with the goal of electing Tinubu in next year’s poll, is in remembrance of the 2015/2019 synergy between the North and South that produced Buhari as President. Tinubu played a pivotal role as the party’s respected National Leader. His intellect, experience, exposure, structure, mobilisation prowess, organisational ability and achievements as governor were an added advantage.

As the 80th birthday gift for President Muhammadu Buhari, Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) have vowed to deliver Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as his successor.

The Governors gave this commitment in a felicitation message to Buhari on the occasion of his 80th birthday on Saturday.

A statement by the Chairman of the forum Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu in Abuja to mark the President’s birthday also acknowledged the doggedness and unwavering determination of Buhari in defending and securing Nigeria as a prosperous and democratic country.

The statement reads: “The Progressive Governors Forum joins His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his family, and Nigerians to celebrate his 80th birthday. The nation celebrates this special day with you and your family.

Read Also: Buhari source of inspiration to Nigerians at 80- APC

“We are grateful for your leadership, vision and commitment to moving our dear nation forward. Your doggedness and unwavering determination to defend and secure Nigeria as a prosperous and democratic country have immeasurably stabilised and restored confidence in our electoral process and party politics.

“Leaders and members of our party, All Progressives Congress (APC) are grateful to have your inspiring leadership role. Accordingly, our party has continued to evolve and both management of party administration and processes of candidates’ emergence is improving, which is responsible for the higher electoral advantages we have compared to other parties in the country. This accounts for the massive support of Nigerians for all our candidates for the 2023 elections at all levels.

“As we wish you a happy birthday and say a big thank you for your selfless service to our dear country, we reaffirm our commitment to work for the electoral victory of all our candidates for the 2023 elections.

“We are working hard with abiding faith and belief to ensure that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our Presidential Candidate emerges victorious and succeeds you.

“Your patriotically inspiring leadership remain the source of our massive support across every part of Nigeria.

“80 Hearty Cheers Mr President!”