2027: Neither North nor South can solely determine who becomes president —Sani

A member of the Board of trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr Anthony Sani, has said the views expressed by the chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, concerning the 2027 presidency only bothered about the letters of the Constitution of the country. According to Sani, neither the North nor the South can solely produce the president of the country.

Baba-Ahmed, who was until recently the Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had declared that no politician can win the presidency in 2027 without the support of the North.

Baba-Ahmed, who featured with a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, in a video interview, said the North would soon define its political direction.

“In the next six months, the North will decide where it stands. If the rest of the country wants to join us, fine. If not, we will go our own way. One thing is clear: nobody can become president of Nigeria without northern support,” Baba-Ahmed declared.

“We want a government that understands our problems and can address them. After Buhari’s eight years, we became wiser. Now, we are in another government, and we are still crying. Is crying all we know how to do?” Baba-Ahmed queried.

In a short message sent to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, Sani said the former spokesman of NEF only confirmed that there has to be a synergy between the north and the South in voting who leads the country.

The former general secretary of ACF added that it is explicitly stated in the 1999 Constitution that whoever must emerge as president should secure 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 the president for purpose of unity of the country.

“What Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has said is a truism. But that is also true of southern region. No president can emerge without the support of the southern region.

“This is because the Constitution is clear in its provisions that in order to win the elections and become president, one must win not only majority votes, but also win at least 25% of the votes in each of at least two-thirds of the 36 states. That is to say, one must secure 25% 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.

“I believe the requirements for both majority votes and spread are deliberate in order to force the regions to work together and produce the president for purpose of unity of the nation,” Sani stressed.

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