Ahead of the 2023 Presidential Election, there is already clamour which part of the country should produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor if he completes his tenure.
Even some admirers of the President want him to seek for a third term, a suggestion he did not accept.
Pastor Tunde Bakare, Overseer, Citadel Global Community Church, on his part, advised Buhari not to leave the choice of his successor in 2023 to chance.
Mr Bakare said: “By institutionalising a system of succession, Buhari would join the league of strong world leaders like the late Deng Xiaoping of China; the late Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Goh Chok Tong of Singapore.’’
Even before the call, Buhari has maintained that he has no such intention. “Succession is very funny because if I did find anybody, I will create more problems for him or her. Let those who want to be president try as much as I did.’’
Mr Bakare’s suggestion to Buhari attracted a lot of comments, and indeed opened a floodgate of discussions on the presidential seat come 2023.
A chieftain of the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Sen. Femi Okurounmu, attacked Bakare for advising Buhari to choose his successor.
He said that it was not the duty of an incumbent President to decide his successor, stressing that such a plan was aimed at destabilising the country’s democracy.
Okurounmu advised Buhari against heeding such advice, stressing that it was the duty of Nigerians to decide their next president.
The preoccupation of a group, Arewa Youths Assembly, was search for a credible youth from the South-South zone to replace Buhari when he leaves office in 2023.
The youths vowed to do all that is politically expedient to ensure emergence of a president from South-South in 2023.
They said that they were against the position of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) led by Prof. Ago Abdullahi that north could retain power for the next 100 years.
On his part, former Senate Chief Whip, Roland Owie, brought a new dimension to the debate.
He said that power should remain in the north at least for another four years to ensure equity and fairness.
Besides, he canvassed that when power eventually shifts to the south, the presidency should be ceded to the South-East region of the country.
He hinged his suggestion on the fact that the south has had more time at the presidency than the north since 1999 as a result of the sudden death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest after he finished the tenure of Yar’Adua.
Giving reason why the presidency should be ceded to the South-East when it rotates to south, he said: “It is the south easterners that are making this country remain united.
“Go to every part of the 36 states of the federation, after the indigenes, the next most populated group are the Igbo people.
“When presidency comes back to the south, it should go to South-East, not South-West, not South-South.’’
But the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola’, said it was too early to debate which zone of the country should produce the next president.
According to him such debate will negatively affect the pace of governance by the Buhari’s administration.
“That time is not now. We have just finished one election and Mr President is busy sorting out the budget, working for the people of this country.
“Of course, restlessness of politics is going to be there, but any lover of this country will not talk about the succession plan yet. That’s the truth.”
He appealed to politicians to concentrate on working to help Buhari to govern the country well.
“There’s nothing more than that. We cannot use 360 days out of the 365 days in a year to work on politics.
“It is not possible. Anybody talking about that now is just completely restless and not focused on the agenda of nation-building and development of our country.”
Prof. Jonah Onuoha, the Head, Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, on his part, expressed concern that some politicians are preoccupied on who become president and governors in 2023.
“It’s bad omen for democracy in the country that those elected in 2019 general elections, instead of being preoccupied on how to deliver democracy dividends to the people, are wasting time and energy on who will be in ‘Aso Rock’ and state government houses in 2023.
“It is not good for the country’s democracy that we are in 2020, but politics of 2023 are dominating many political discussions and meetings.
“Does it mean that those elected have forgotten their campaign promises to the people or they have nothing to offer?’’
The don urged Nigerians to “mark politicians who have started playing politics of 2023 now and ensure such politicians are rejected in 2023.
“A politician who is thinking of next election now instead of how to give good governance to his people is a political liability and should be rejected in 2023 by Nigerians.
“If they have been elected in 2019 and they have not empowered their people, but busy talking about 2023, if they are re-elected in 2023 they will also start talking about 2027,”he said.
Onuoha advised politicians in the country to know that only quality achievements would determine if they would be re-elected in 2023 as Nigerians have become wiser.
“A good politician should know that making noise about 2023 will not win election for him, but good democracy dividends and empowerment he attracted to his people.
“I urge the leadership of various political parties to call their members involved to order.
“Tell your members elected to make efforts to fulfil campaign promises made to people in 2019 rather than dissipating energy in talking about 2023 general elections.
Chief Chekwas Okorie, the National Chairman of United Progressives Party, UPP, said that there was nothing wrong in political parties using the election- free period to sell their manifestoes to the public and shop for membership.
He said that the government would not be distracted because politicians and political parties were aligning and realigning for 2023 politics.
“I do not see anything wrong with politicians positioning themselves for the contest at the moment.
“There is no way you can strategise if you do not start early.
“By law, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is supposed to issue the timetable for the elections a year ahead, and for this, we expect their timetable.
Stakeholders have expressed divergent views on the appropriateness or otherwise of filling vacant political positions ahead of 2023.
But they agreed that the preoccupation of those elected into political offices in 1999 should be delivery of democracy dividends to those who elected them.
That should be the preoccupation for now, not 2023.
NANFeatures
