Veteran politician and ADC chieftain Dele Momodu has fiercely dismissed the popular argument that the Nigerian presidency must alternate strictly on an eight-year rotational basis between the north and the south, describing it as a complete fallacy promoted by politicians who are afraid to compete on merit and strategy.
In the recent video from 13:45, He challenged the historical accuracy of the eight-year rule, pointing out that after President Olusegun Obasanjo completed eight years for the south, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua did only three years for the north before his death. He noted that President Goodluck Jonathan then completed that term and went on to contest and win his own four-year term, meaning the south held power for far longer without the north insisting on completing their interrupted eight years.
According to Momodu, the Nigerian Constitution does not bar anyone from contesting based on regional rotation. He argued that insisting on an unwritten “gentleman’s agreement” over the clear provisions of the constitution is undemocratic, and that in a proper democracy, people should not be bullied into abandoning viable electoral strategies just to satisfy emotional regional demands.
Dele Momodu said: “Let us stop promoting this fallacy. There has never been a time the north did 8 years, the south did 8 years, the north did 8 years. This is a new strategy by those who cannot compete. Obasanjo did 8 years after which Yar’Adua did three years. Jonathan contested in 2011 and won. So he did a total of 5 years. After that he contested again for 4 years. I did not hear any journalists come to preach about what is happening to Yar’Adua’s time. The constitution of Nigeria does not stop anyone from contesting.” Read_More…