Kwankwaso links zoning confusion to Yar’Adua’s death

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is responsible for the confusion surrounding power rotation between Northern and Southern Nigeria, as he defended his party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

Kwankwaso made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, arguing that ceding the presidency to the South remains the most practical way to resolve lingering disagreements over regional power sharing.

“We believe the best way to go now is to take it to the South so that we can eliminate the confusion that emanated from the death of our brother and friend, Umar Musa Yar’Adua,” he said.

Yar’Adua, who became president in 2007, died in office in 2010 after a prolonged illness, paving the way for his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan of the South, to complete the tenure and subsequently win the 2011 presidential election.

The circumstances of that transition have since fuelled competing interpretations of how years in power should be counted for each region.

Kwankwaso acknowledged that such interpretations typically reflected political interests.

“One can argue that from 1999 to date, the South has done more years than the North. But it depends on how it suits you,” he said.

He argued, however, that the most objective starting point was the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure, adding that supporters of Southern zoning regard President Bola Tinubu as serving the South’s first term under the current arrangement.

The former Kano governor said northern politicians who recently joined the NDC accepted the zoning decision without resistance.

“Almost all of us joining from the North accepted. There is no point in fighting,” he said.

Kwankwaso nonetheless cautioned that the regional debate should not eclipse the more fundamental question of leadership quality.

“What is key now is not presidency from the North or from the South. What is key is to have quality leadership, people who are enthusiastic, determined and committed to give the country the leadership it deserves,” he added.

Kwankwaso and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi formally joined the NDC on May 3 after departing the African Democratic Congress over internal disagreements.

The NDC has since adopted the Southern zoning arrangement at its national convention in Abuja.