A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State, Mallam Bibi Dogo, has said that in the interest of fairness, justice, unity, and brotherhood, the North East should be allowed to produce next president of Nigeria in 2023.
Bibi Dogo stated this today in a statement he distributed to newsmen in Bauchi.
He said the North East is the most backward region when compared to other zones in the country in terms of socio economic development, despite its huge minerals resources and population of electorate.
Read Also: NATO may support troops in Sahel – UN chief
Dogo called on the political class to ensure the presidential seat is rotated round the six geo-political zones of the country, rather than narrowing it only to the North and South, as a way of ensuring inclusion and proper circulation of power.
“I call for zoning of the presidency to the North East, specifically with a special focus on Bauchi State, because its the only zone that is yet to produce a president, in either civilian or military arrangement. It is the one who should produce the same in 2023. Apart from Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the first Prime Minister of Nigeria, then Atiku Abubakar who was Vice President of Nigeria, the North East didnt get any leader at the top.
“We in the North East are out to pursue the cause of justice and fairness in the polity as a condition for peace and progress of the country,” he said, noting that capturing the six geopolitical zones would ensure inclusion and national unity.
He said even in terms of creation of states and local government in Nigeria, the Northeast was not treated fairly considering its land mass and population.
Bibi Dogo said the North East has only 120 local Government areas with big states like Borno 27, Adamawa 29, Taraba 16, Bauchi 20, Gombe11 and Yobe 17. For that you can’t compare it to South West or North Central that have between 154 and 165.
“While the South East has had the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (six years) and Late General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi (six months), the South-South has produced Dr Goodluck Jonathan (5 years), the South West has also had Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (combined eleven years) and Chief Ernest Shonekan (3 months).
“The North West has had General Murtala Mohammed (6 months), Alhaji Shehu Shagari (4 years), General Sani Abacha (5 years), Late President Umar Musa Yaradua (3 years) and President Muhammadu Buhari (combined ten years).
“The North Central has produced General Yakubu Gowon (9 years), General Ibrahim Babangida (8 years) and General Abdulsalami Abubakar (1 year). The Northeast has however produced a Nigerian president for zero seconds, zero minutes, zero hours, zero days, zero weeks, zero months and zero years.”
Bibi Dogo said “Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was a one time Prime Minister from Bauchi State and was killed during First Republic military coup. Abiola who was claimed to be the winner of June 12 from Yoruba South West, he lost his life while in detention, but Yoruba were compensated with Shonekan and Obasanjo. North East and Bauchi were not compensated after Prime Minister Balewa was killed and no one is saying anything about it.”
He said “but if that is not possible by the calculation of the political parties, they should ensure that justice and fairness dominate what they want to do in terms of zoning the presidency. I belong to the PDP and I believe the PDP will allow justice and fair play to play out. But that is not debatable, North East should have it in the best interest of unity of the country, and Bauchi State will be the golden choice of the candidate in the interest of justice and compensation to the state.”
Mallam Bibi Dogo noted that though zoning of the presidency to any particular region of the country was at the discretion of political parties, Bauchi deserves it more than others.
“Put Bauchi in a scale, the state alone is more than four states in the south interms of land mass and population and you can travel 120 kilometers within one local government from the state capital.
“And from Taraba, Adamawa to Gombe, Bauchi up to Abuja it’s a single lane federal road that is dilapidated; there is no region like this in the country, for that it’s now time to give our son chance to rule Nigeria in 2023.″
.
