A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Chief Osita Okechukwu, has appealed to Nigerians, with particular emphasis on politicians from Northern Nigeria, to allow President Bola Tinubu to complete a second term in office.
Okechukwu, who previously served as Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, made the appeal on Saturday during the commencement of the APC electronic registration exercise at Eke Ward in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He stated that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was likely to emerge as the winner of the African Democratic Congress primaries. He then urged Abubakar to respect Nigeria’s zoning and rotational arrangement for the presidency.
After completing his registration, Okechukwu publicly endorsed Tinubu for a second term. He called on Abubakar to wait until the president completed his tenure before political power returned to the North.
“By the time Tinubu finishes in 2031, any southerner who is coming for president, we will not allow the person because it will be the turn of the North,” he said.
Okechukwu explained that Abubakar once benefited from the same zoning principle in 1999, when he became Vice President under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“If not for good faith, restraint, and self-censorship, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Umaru Shinkafi, Adamu Ciroma, and Bukola Saraki were all qualified by any standard but conceded power to the south.
“This was how Abubakar became vice president under Obasanjo,” he said.
He traced the origin of rotational leadership to Switzerland in 1848. According to him, the system was founded on good faith, national unity, equity, and inclusion.
“Other countries practiced it in one variant or the other, but for us, after the military coup and the long reign of the military regime in Nigeria, some Nigerian patriots came together.
“Their conclusion was that the only place to shift power was the South, and also to please Abiola and his followers, was to do a rotation convention whereby it would be the turn of the South, after which, the North would take over.
“And that was exactly what happened because from 1999 to 2007, the South finished and handed over to a northerner.
“So to sustain economic reforms of Tinubu, Nigeria’s democracy and peace of the country, the south under Tinubu should be allowed to complete their eight years in power,” he stressed.
While commending Tinubu’s economic policies, Okechukwu said recent indicators showed signs of recovery. He expressed confidence that Nigerians would benefit more if the reforms continued into a second term.
Also speaking at the event, an APC member in the ward, Mrs Kate Offor, described the e-registration exercise as proof of transparency within the party. She said it showed that the APC-led government was committed to a credible electoral process in 2027.
She added that proper registration would prevent manipulation of party records. She also predicted a landslide victory for Tinubu in the next general election.
In his remarks, the APC e-registration agent for Eke Ward, Mr Chibuzor Onyeama, said the exercise had begun successfully at the ward level. He promised to enroll more members in the coming days.
“The registration requirements are your National Identification Number (NIN), voter’s number, and your phone number. Our only challenge was a few network hitches,” he said.
