Recently, the immediate past governor of Kano State and now the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, trended for saying that President Bola Tinubu will go for a second term and that after his eight years presidency, power will return to the North. This statement did not go well with some Nigerians. KINGSLEY ALUMONA sampled the opinions of some Nigerians on this issue. Their views:
Gloria Opurum
If Nigerians actually decide who governs them, there would always be vacancies in all political spaces. Politicians are public servants, not masters or rulers. I hope the populace understands that when a politician is not governing well, he or she could be fired from the position. If Nigerian citizens understand that they employed all the senators, governors, president, etc., then, they would understand that power belongs to the people who could scale their performance in governance. So there is always a vacancy in Aso Rock.
Alexandra Markus
The statement of the chairman of the APC, whether consciously or not, is a callous one. It speaks of how the citizens have no power over the politics in the country. In a saner clime, where democracy is in full swing, Ganduje should be answering some questions by now regarding his utterance. Always trying to claim right over against the citizens.
Oluwagbemiga Ajeigbe
How can he said no vacancy in a democratic government that allows elections to take place every four years interval? Does he want to change the doctrine of democracy? Or he and his party have already concluded the outcome of the 2027 election?
Rabiu Abdallah
This is inappropriate and would not augur well for our democracy. The constitution should always be strictly adhered to. It is high time we got rid of the rotational presidency. It does us no good at all. Instead, we must prioritise integrity, competence, and capacity. Development would continue to elude us until and unless we get rid of the politics of region, religion, and ethnicity. We cannot achieve the quality leadership we are advocating until and unless we prioritise integrity, competence, capacity, and transparency. Where the president comes from, his region, religion, and ethnicity should not matter to us as long as he or she is capable. Region, religion, and ethnicity should not be our yardsticks in determining who to vote for. Rather, integrity, competence, and capacity. Integrity should be always our watchdog.
Ahmad Ibrahim
What happened to former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 is child’s play to what would happen to President Tinubu and the APC. The North is a no-go area for Tinubu and the APC, and northern APC leaders know this. They are deceiving the president. By 2027, they would be even afraid to campaign for the president. I am speaking about what is on the ground here. Even Southerners, I do not think they would support him, because his government is for the Yorubas. Even the Yorubas, with the way things are, I doubt if they would vote for him.
Daha Bashir
I wholeheartedly stand with Ganduje. This is because, as far as politics is concerned in Nigeria, the APC is progressing fruitfully while the opposition parties are bedeviled with storms in their politics. Fortunately, President Bola Tinubu is a true democrat and the best among grassroots politicians that Nigeria ever had as president since the return of democracy in 1999. The APC is Nigeria’s ruling party that unanimously adopts zoning as its mandate. Now, it is Tinubu’s turn from southern Nigeria. The national party chairman’s comment is the fulfilment of the APC mandate rather than his personal view.
Sayo Adejumo
Ganduje may be correct because we have not matured democratically in Nigeria. We do not know our rights and we cannot fight for our rights. If we have matured democratically and politically in Nigeria, APC should not get votes in any state in 2027.
Abdulwaheed Yinka
After Tinubu’s eight years, anyone could talk of taking over. We the Yoruba would complete our term, the same way President Buhari finished his. The Fulani did not complain under Buhari, even when everyone was complaining.
Ikechukwu Godson
In 2027, APC campaign slogans would be after Tinubu, the North take back power. The people would not care about their sufferings. All they want is power for them. In any government, the government would work hard in the first four years to win the next election. Imagine the suffering Nigerians are going through in the first half of Tinubu’s government. If he wins the second half, Nigerians would be in for it.
Gabriel Bamisaye
In Nigerian politics, it is easy for the ruling party to tell the opposition that they cannot be defeated. It is then up to the opposition to either agree or disagree. To disagree means they must work harder on grassroots mobilisation and put their differences aside. But, in all, Ganduje is not God. Only God can decide if there will be a vacancy in Aso Rock or not.
READ ALSO: Ganduje to Northern politicians: Drop 2027 presidential ambitions, it’s Tinubu’s turn
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