2023: Why South May Never Take Power from North – Okupe
POLITICS DIGEST – A former spokesperson on Public Affairs to ex-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has given reasons why the North may continue to rule Nigeria for a long time to come.
Okupe explained that the inability of states in the South to unite irrespective of their differences, presents the North the opportunity to rule Nigeria “in perpetuity.”
He stated this in reaction to the Acting Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Musa Liman Kwande’s declaration that Northerners would vote for a presidential candidate from the region in 2023.
In a post on his Facebook page, the former Presidential spokesperson noted that lack of unity among Southern politicians would create a platform for the North to continue to rule Nigeria.
Okupe wrote: “The Chairman of the Arewa Forum recently declared that in 2023 the North will vote for a Northern candidate irrespective of political party considerations. Many Southerners are upset at this audacity and blame it on the failure of Southern politicians to form a political united front.
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“Truth and reality is that the South cannot easily be united. The odds favour the North. North West the highest voting population is virtually homogeneous. The North East though may differ in tongue and to some extent culturally, still will always find common ground with the North West based on religion and language.
“The technical buffer zone the North Central is largely disparate essentially haven little in common.
“The south – South South, South West and South East are majorly distinct sub-nationalities with the exception of South South which like North Central, are stand-alone tribes or clusters of nationalities.
“A Yoruba presidency has little or no direct benefit to a Delta indigene from Warri, or Izon from Yenagoa, or an Igbo man from Umuahia. So, even if the leadership of the South can spin off a semblance of political unity, it will be difficult to translate it into votes by the local electorates.
“In truth it is actually unfair to expect such unity as may be found among the Northern political elites.
“Nigeria, therefore, as politically constituted and with the adopted political format is intrinsically inequitable and not sustainable. The North can in theory, exploit the present situation and rule in perpetuity, but how long it can hold the nation-state together, will be the major challenge.”
