Why power must return to the North in 2015 -By Yusuf Jubril

This is the last month of 2014 and in just about a month and three weeks from now, the country would be holding a general election of unprecedented significance given that since 1999, except for the brief period of our late President Yar’Adua, the Presidency has been in the south. For the North, no other election in the history of Nigeria is capable of making or marring the political influence and position of the people of the Northern Region of Nigeria as the 2015 presidential election, especially now that Goodluck Jonathan is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

For the majority of Northerners who are by far more politically conscious of the two broad regions that make up Nigeria, it would have been unnecessary to remind our people. However, we have in recent times been witnessing a dangerous trend, a divide and rule tactics by the current government aimed at weakening the determination of the North to reclaim its traditional position of providing leadership for Nigeria.

As the election draws near, all manner of so-called respectable people are meeting with Goodluck Jonathan, pledging allegiance and promising to betray the North again for him come the 2015 polls. Even the Likes of Tafawa Balewa’s son withdrew with a promise that it will be the turn of the north in 2019, something we can, and should claim in 2015. What a shame. We have committed elders like Dr. Junaid Mohammed and others who will not fail the north, like Governors Nyako and Kwakwanso. The same people like Abdul-Jelili Tafawa Balewa who benefitted from the same positions and public offices that our forefathers laboured for which the north is being denied since the time of Obasanjo who betrayed the north.

The North is unapologetic because it is only asking for what it does best in Nigeria; leadership since we are more in number than south and democracy is about majority. All regions of the country excel in one area or the other; the West in education, Eastern region business, the North has since independence by divine blessing provided leadership and administration which has kept the country stable and secure and would continue to work for a peaceful country. This is no accident; it is the Almighty Allah that has destined it so.

However, the current mediocre interregnum, by an interloper, in the name of a Jonathan’s Southern presidency, is an aberration; for apart from the six months when Aguiyi-Ironsi and his Eastern cohorts took the North unawares, the North has provided leadership for the country and even denied itself by installing a South Westerner, Olusegun Obasanjo, twice as a president from the south. First, Obasanjo on the death of General Murtala Mohammed; even Chief Shonekan when Abiola attempted unsuccessfully to rule; and later Obasanjo again in 1999 till 2007 to help fulfil Allah’s will of the leadership role of the North for our country.

Obasanjo abused this privilege by attempting to go for a third term. His betrayal has been well described by our dependable leader Alhaji Ango Abdullahi, who described his ingratitude in the following words:

“Somebody who was picked from the gallows waiting to die there, the same person is casting aspersion on those that picked him up from the gutters of prison, brought him out, cleaned him up, pardoned him for his crimes and decided to put him forward to lead this country; in the hope that he would perform. But, records show that this country has never received the kind of revenue or resources it got between 1999 to 2007. It is evident that Obasanjo received more revenue than those received from 1960 to when he became president in 1999. But where did these revenues go? There was no power supply, nothing worked; There was no doubt about it, Obasanjo is unprincipled, both in terms of his social and moral behaviours.”

For his betrayal of the north, Obasanjo tried to make amends for his actions, making sure that power returned to north by handing over to the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua, his friend‘s younger brother in the rigged 2007 election as opposed to Gen. Buhari that the Nigerian people freely want.

No matter the arrogance of those in power now, the likes of Obasanjo know that without the north, he could not have stepped into the office of the president where Chief Obafemi Awolowo who thought he could rule Nigeria failed woefully.

Another Yoruba leader who has shown wisdom and knowledge of history to achieve greater benefit for his people, unlike the rigid Awolowo who was not flexible, is Bola Ahmed Tinubu who, after initial reluctance in 2011, has since seen the light and realised the strategic wisdom in working with the North for a just and sustainable Nigeria.

It is against this background that the 2015 presidential election becomes particularly significant for the North. For now, power is in the hands of a zone which arrogantly believes that it is entitled to it by virtue of the natural resources in their region. However, every region has contributed its resources to the initial development of the oil they now claim ownership of. They fail to remember that politics is a game of numbers. How can a zone not larger than only two northern states, either in the northwest or northeast, hope to retain power? This can only happen if the North allows it to happen. Our carefully selected delegates at the National Conference made this clear; this is why the 13 percent derivation should in fact be reduced to 5% for only on-shore oil when Buhari comes to power, because all mineral resources belong to the federal government. This has always been the case since the colonial period. If the North stands together with its allies in the South West we can ensure that local governments get 35% of federal allocations, while states get 39 percent. Let those who want 50% derivation get it only from those resources that were not located naturally, things they added value to.

As for the elections come 14th February 2015, with the South West under Bola Tinubu with four states combined; with our population in the north, we will show our superiority on Election Day come 2015. By teaming up with Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of the South West, Bola Tinubu, has made the right decision because, no matter what any one might say, Buhari is currently the undisputed leader of the North, as there is no other person whom the masses in the North are willing to vote or even die for like General Buhari, and he certainly merits it. Moreover, he has over several years also been working hard to unite the entire Fulani people all over the world historically found in several countries across Africa; from Kenya through Rwanda, Central Africa Republic, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, to Nigeria, etc. The Jonathan people in the south believe they can win in 2015 with the support of the Middle Belt Christians. Trying to use religion will not work and, in any case, how many Christians are there even in the whole Nigeria compared to Muslims? And how many of them are left in the Middle-Belt with Boko Haram occupying Mubi? It is only naive traitors from there that will not support the north. We are confident that this plan to use our people will fail. The Middle Belt has always been full of treachery right from the days of Joseph Tarka and his likes, yet their United Middle Belt Congress could not stop the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) from winning in the past.

The political naivety and narrow mindedness of some of our Middle Belt people as always cannot stop the North from clinching the presidency. The PDP will surely fail as our people continue to move away from its umbrella. The North can make its population count and truly show that politics is a game of numbers and Allah has granted us that to provide leadership.