No region can solely produce President, says Sani

Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Matters and Northern Elders Forum (NEF) chieftain, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has warned that the North is drifting away from the President due to economic hardship, insecurity and other challenges.
   
A Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, said Baba-Ahmed’s views concerning the 2027 presidency reiterated the letters of the Constitution, noting that neither the North nor the South could solely determine who becomes President.
  
In an open letter to Tinubu, the NEF chief urged the President to step aside in 2027 for a new generation leader. Baba-Ahmed also cautioned Tinubu against prioritising re-election over governance, as he still has two years ahead.
 
He said: “Step aside, not for your opponents but for a new generation of Nigerians who can carry the nation forward with fresh energy and ideas. Our generation has done its time. It would be a masterstroke if you and your party yielded the field to new voices and leadership.”
 
Stressing that Nigerians were aggrieved with Tinubu’s administration, he added: “The North is drifting from your leadership under the weight of economic hardship, insecurity and alienation. The (South) East remains politically disengaged, while the South-South is fragmented. The South West has been lukewarm, and its privileged position may become a burden. The North East is deeply wounded and can no longer be taken for granted.”
  
The ex-presidential aide urged Tinubu to focus on addressing the country’s most pressing problems. Baba-Ahmed, who was Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice President Kashim Shettima, had declared that no politician could win the Presidency in 2027 without the support of the North.

Reacting, Sani said the former NEF spokesman only confirmed that there has to be a synergy between the North and the South in voting for who leads the country.
  
According to the former general secretary of ACF, the 1999 Constitution stated that the President-elect must have secured at least two-thirds of the majority votes in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He reasoned that the provision underscores the necessity for the regions to work together and produce a President for the purpose of unity.
  
“What Dr Baba-Ahmed has said is a truism. But that is also true of the southern region. No President can emerge without the support of the southern region.
 
 “This is because the Constitution is clear in its provisions that to win the elections and become President, one must win not only a majority of votes, but also win at least 25 per cent of the votes in each of at least two-thirds of the 36 states. That is to say, one must secure 25 per cent in each of at least 24 states. Since no region has 24 states, it means nobody can be President without the northern region or the southern region,” Sani stressed.