MP to Okupe: North East should produce Buhari’s successor
Unless President Muhammadu Buhari seeks re-election in 2019, the North East is the most eligible part of the North that should produce a presidential candidate, member of the House of Representatives from Yobe State Goni Bukar Lawan said in Abuja yesterday. He said while the North East is totally in support of Buhari because of the love and empathy he has shown to the region, it will insist on replacing him in case he decides not to contest in 2019. The North West zone should not be a contender for the APC ticket because it has had more than its fair share of the Nigerian presidency going by the records, Lawan said.
Representative Lawan spoke in response to former presidential spokesman Dr. Doyin Okupe, who was reported in yesterday’s Daily Trust on Saturday to have said the North West, where Buhari hails from, should retain the APC ticket in 2019 in the event that the president does not seek re-election. He said since 1960, the North West has produced four Heads of State, two Vice Presidents and four Speakers of the House of Representatives, making it the highest beneficiary of top public offices in Nigeria. Allowing the same zone to retain the Presidency in 2019 if Buhari does not run would amount to grave injustice to the North East which is the zone in the North that has had the least shot at the Presidency and other top national offices, he said.
Lawan said while the North West has produced the highest number of top office holders, the North Central zone also produced three Heads of State and four Senate Presidents while the North East only produced a Prime Minister who was not a head of state; one Vice President, one Speaker and two Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives, making it the least beneficiary of top national offices in the North.
He said, “I believe Dr Okupe was merely testing the waters on behalf of some aspirants from the North West. Our prayer is for Buhari to be healthy enough to lead us for two terms. But then, I consider it necessary to respond to Okupe so as to set the records straight.”
Lawan added, “Unless President Buhari will seek re-election, we have had enough from Northwest if at all we want justice. Since 1960, Northwest produced General Murtala Mohammed, President Shehu Shagari, General Buhari, General Sani Abacha, President Umaru Yar’adua and President Muhammadu Buhari. Though General Abacha was originally from the North East, he grew up in Kano and adopted Kano as his home state. He regarded himself as a North Westerner and he was even buried in Kano. The Northwest also produced two Vice Heads of State; Major General Shehu Yar’adua and Vice President Namadi Sambo. Since 1999 the North West has produced four Speakers of House of Representatives namely Salisu Buhari, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, Aminu Bello Masari and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.“In case of the North Central, the sub-region produced General Yakubu Gowon, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar. The North Central has also produced four Senate Presidents namely Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, Senator Ameh Ebute, David Mark and Abubakar Bukola Saraki. The region also produced two Deputy Senate Presidents, Haruna Abubakar and Ibrahim Mantu. The least patronized zone is the North East which produced only Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister, not a head of state. The North East produced only a Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, one Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and two Deputy Speakers, Babangida Nguroje from Taraba and Bayero Nafada from Gombe.
“So, unless anyone is seeing those of us in the North East as second class northerners, there should be no contest about the entitlement of the North East to produce the next President if President Buhari is not seeking re-election. President Buhari is the only President that ever showed empathy for the North East and we can understand why. He was Military Governor of the old North Eastern State and his wife hails from the North East. If Buhari leaves, where are we ever going to have anyone that will show empathy to the zone especially with the havoc we suffered? We respect the rights of all qualified Nigerians to aspire for any position in 2019 since the constitution guarantees their rights but when it comes to zoning the Presidency within the North, only the northeast deserves it.”