Tuesday, August 5, 2025 - A former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has faulted the rotational presidency in Nigeria.
Sowore, in an appearance on the Tuesday
edition of Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, says
the country should be interested in a president who will run Nigeria better,
irrespective of his region.
“If I have a good president in Nigeria, who
can run this country very well, I don’t care where he comes from,” Sowore said.
“That is what the majority of the Nigerian
people are aspiring for. That is the idea of this federation that all the
federating units should be able to have an opportunity.
“When you zone it to the north, the majority
of the northerners would want to take a shot at it. When you zone it back to
the south, the south of Nigeria is not Yoruba or Igbo alone. It is just
senseless.”
According to Sowore, every presidential
hopeful should be given a chance.
In doing this, he explained that certain
parameters like qualifications, manifestos, among others, should be considered,
rather than the person’s geo-political zone.
“Zoning the presidency to the worst character
in the country is not going to make you get anywhere.
“Give everybody a chance. That is why they
said, ‘Come and contest for president, governor, local government chairman, and
present your agenda, speak to us, and we will look at your character, exposure,
and vote for you’.”
The issue of rotational president has been a
burning topic of recent as power brokers believe that the presidency should be
retained in the South.
Incumbent President Bola Tinubu, a Southerner
from Lagos State swept to power in the 2023 general polls.
He succeeded former President Muhammadu
Buhari, from Katsina State, who completed the constitutional mandated eight
years in office.
While many believe the South still have
another term, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner from Adamawa
State, is eyeing the nation’s top job.
He, alongside other opposition leaders, have
repeatedly called for a coalition to end the dominance of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in 2027.
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