By AYOOLA OLAOLUWA

A fierce agitation for the zoning of the position of the president in 2023 is growing in the South West, made up of the six Yoruba states of Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos, Business Hallmark investigation can reveal.

According to BH findings, majority of those from the region are united in the agitation, irrespective of their religious and political leanings.

Some Yoruba leaders, including professionals, politicians, traditional rulers, as well as community leaders who spoke to our correspondent said they were not going to back down on their demands, noting that the only way to ensure fairness is to allow the presidency to come back to the region after the tenure of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

The South West, it would be recalled,last occupied the number one seat in the present 4th Republic in 2007, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State, was president for eight years from May 29 1999 toMay 29 2007.

Obasanjo had swept to power in 1999 and 2007 under the umbrella of the then ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) against the wishes of his people who had preferred one of their own, Chief OluFalae and the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu respectively.

At the expiration of Obasanjo’s tenure, the Yoruba dominated Alliance for Democracy (AD), which later metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria (APC), made two other failed attempts to produce a president.

The PDP, in the two presidential elections that followed, defeated other opposition parties to install former Presidents Umaru Musa Y’aradua and GoodluckEbelo Jonathan in office for another eight years.

Having failed on four occasions (1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011) to have their way, political leaders from the South West, led by former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had midwifed an alliance between the ACN with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), led by President Buhari, a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the New PDP led by renegades like the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Olusola Saraki, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and others to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The special purpose vehicle successfully snatched power from the PDP in 2015, after its candidate, President Buhari, was declared the winner of the keenly contested election.

The alliance, though later strained, lingered into 2019, with Buhari winning another term against PDP’s Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

According to multiple sources both from and outside the South West, there is an outstanding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) within the APC dating back to 2014 when the party was founded, that the presidency will revert to the South Westafter President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.

However, available information suggests that the president and his close allies are not willing to honour the agreement to give power to the Tinubu camp in 2023.

The Buhari group, it was gathered, is not comfortable with power going to the South, especially the South West.

“The North, apart from not yet satisfied with the eight years of Buhari and wanting more, is not comfortable with the South West getting the number one position in 2023.

“The zone is already powerful. Giving it more power will endanger the continued dominance and relevance of the North. You can see what Obasanjo did during his reign.

“He is the root of the present economic woes in the North today with his policies. He liquidated, privatized or out rightly sold most government institutions like the Nigerian Airways, PHCN, NITEL, that used to feed the North.

“Though the North was angry with him, we couldn’t touch him because he had his very powerful Yoruba block behind him.

“They are so powerful with all their wealth and institutions behind them. Have you ever seen a government that succeeded in Nigeria without the backing of the Yoruba?

“The crisis that brought down the First Republic started in the South West. Likewise, the regimes of Buhari in 1985, Babangida, Abacha and even Goodluck Jonathan were all upended by forces from the South West.

“The problems Buhari is currently experiencing, we all know, are been orchestrated by the South West controlled media, institutions and individuals. There was peace during his first term until the Yoruba turned after sensing that they may be denied the presidency in 2023.

“So it will be foolish to cede power to the South, particularly the South West, which is the elephant in the house, until the North is ready to successful counter a gang-up like the feared butchering of the country into independent states”, a former permanent secretary turned politician from a state in the North Central zone told our correspondent

However, while forces close to the president are scheming to deny the Tinubu camp the presidential slot in 2023, various interests from the region vowed to ensure power reverts to the region.

Speaking on the matter, an APC chieftain, Akinjide Kazeem Akinola, said a Southwest presidency is not negotiable.

According to Akinola, the South West dominated by the Yoruba tribe had supported candidates in the past for presidency, and should be granted merit to produce the country’s president.

“Come 2023, the presidential slot should be zoned to the South West. The demand is not negotiable”, Akinola stated.

https://hallmarknews.com/2023-presidency-south-west-goes-for-broke-insists-its-presidency-or-nothing/

Electing a Yoruba man president will not stop the killings in the south west. The people that strangled Bola Ige, kidnapped Olu Falae and killed Harry Marshall did so when a southerner was president.

Yoruba land will make a very prosperous country on its own.

If Tinubu becomes president, we would send those almajiris and parasites Fulanis packing from south west

Yoruba press selling their Yoruba thief...

Nothing much..

Na only yoruba thieves be saints for this world..
figure am out Na... ......

This people sef

OK let us see how it plays out

PrinceOfLagos:
If Tinubu becomes president, we would send those almajiris and parasites Fulanis packing from south west

Just like Jonathan sent all the Fulani almajiri away from Port Harcourt?


Dream on

This report is absolute nonsense. Just a useless blog publishing junks and beer parlor gossip. Southerners must ignore divisive and senseless publications like this that are done to divide the United effort of the south.

The south west and indeed the rest of the south are unanimous in demanding for a power shift to the south after 8 years of northern presidency. It is a moral, just, fair and legitimate demand that will build national unity and cohesion. We will not back down till it is achieved in 2023.

PrinceOfLagos:
If Tinubu becomes president, we would send those almajiris and parasites Fulanis packing from south west

Ipob dey disguise


Tinubu isn't Peter Obi

A Tinubu Presidency will be like Lagos and Yoruba land..

Tinubu the thief have led Yoruba people for over 30 years ..
We know Lagos Na .. dirty stinking bad roads etc .. talk more of infrastructure..

Then check out the ghosted deserted state capitals of southwest .. and chronic poverty and acute hunger ravaging the rest of states.

What has Tinubu done for Yoruba people that he’s bringing to the table?

Yoruba should tell us .. so we know what he will do for Nigeria

Yoruba keep shouting his ability to identify capable hands .. who in that position won’t build and identify capable hand from a population of 20 million people ..

Wetin Tinubu don do for Yoruba people

PrinceOfLagos:
If Tinubu becomes president, we would send those almajiris and parasites Fulanis packing from south west

really ? Tinubu that is so scared to even condermed Thier various atrocities on his people .He is a coward .

seunmsg:
This report is absolute nonsense.

Because it doesn't promote Fulani propaganda?

The yoruba are tired of your killing and raping their women.

The hausas and fulani think they own this country because they have population

Let Tinubu becomes president first, we will surely teach them a lesson they will never forget in a hurry

I think the south should get it,but where in the south should be determined by all southerners.

[s]

Coldshisha:


Ipob dey disguise


Tinubu isn't Peter Obi

[/s]
Tinubu is a bastard drug dealing vagabond

Let it be a yoruba man or a chinese man the north will always rule nigeria

LordVoldermort:
Let it be a yoruba man or a chinese man the north will always rule nigeria

Gbam!

The only way is secession.

seunmsg:
This report is absolute nonsense. Just a useless blog publishing junks and beer parlor gossip. Southerners must ignore divisive and senseless publications like this that are done to divide the United effort of the south.

The south west and indeed the rest of the south are unanimous in demanding for a power shift to the south after 8 years of northern presidency. It is a moral, just, fair and legitimate demand that will build national unity and cohesion. We will not back down till it is achieved in 2023.

Lies

Nothing like southerners... Yoruba man know this and no peace

Southeast south south .. till tomorrow.. and southwest Yoruba people..

And no body Dey follow yoruba demand anything.. Yoruba people are on their own..

This is social media .. Yoruba should stop this lies and propaganda..
which useless talk be that...

Speak for Yoruba ..

No south is voting Tinubu except Yoruba .. Yoruba betray south .. betray east .. and wan use Yoruba brain con south.. like say everyone Na dullard..

Sleeping on powerbike .. the crash go mean.

Funny humans

Since 1999, the SW held the presidency for 8 years and will hold the vice presidency for 8 years by 2023
Fulanis held the vp slot for 8 years and will hold the presidency for 11 years by 2023.
The SS has held the presidency for 5 years and the vice presidency for 3 years.

The SE and the NC have not tasted any of those positions, however when you track back, Gowon held the position for many years and he comes from the NC, so for justice to reign, the SE must be considered for the presidency role.

THATS WHAT SOUTHERN UNITY MEANS FOR THEM

SW is not desperate for 2023 presidency but it's something we are interested in.

So giving it a shot is not a bad thing. Enough of paparazzing SW 2023 ambition

OfoIgbo:
Since 1999, the SW held the presidency for 8 years and will hold the vice presidency for 8 years by 2023
Fulanis held the vp slot for 8 years and will hold the presidency for 11 years by 2023.
The SS has held the presidency for 5 years and the vice presidency for 3 years.

The SE and the NC have not tasted any of those positions, however when you track back, Gowon held the position for many years and he comes from the NC, so for justice to reign, the SE must be considered for the presidency role.

Power is not given but taken. Those that have been having/taken power have been playing their politics games right.

Let both NC and SE up their games in politics... If they think they have what it takes to win 2023 presidency, let them try their luck instead of sabotaging/blackmailing others

AchalugoNwa:
[s][/s]
Tinubu is a bastard drug dealing vagabond

Sweet Early morning crying.

Make I supply some storage tanks?

OBALOLA55:
SEUNMSG IS A RADICAL YORUBA MUSLIM JIHADIST

I thinkbhe bis fulani instead.

We will not back down till Southerners are installed in all the nooks and cranny of Nigeria to rule the backwards Almajiri and parasitic Fulanis.

vanbonattel:

I thinkbhe bis fulani instead.

I think he is a mixture of Kanuri and Nupe.

Asgard73:


Yoruba press selling their Yoruba thief...

Nothing much..

Na only yoruba thieves be saints for this world..
figure am out Na... ......

This people sef

Can't you respect your age for once and show you're capable of mature thinking? Does your childish garbage about "Yoruba press" make sense to you?

The article is 100% correct. The SW is the most powerful and most institutionally sound region of Nigeria by far.

Not because we scammed others or pulled Machiavellian moves to be that way but because of who we are and what we always commit to as a people like education, tolerance, liberalism, progressive and meritocratic society etal

We will produce the 2023 President of Nigeria because we are the only region who understand our own worth and strength enough to know that we will not play second fiddle to anyone and certainly not the gradualist and Conservative North.

helinues:


Power is not given but taken. Those that have been having/taken power have been playing their politics games right.

Let both NC and SE up their games in politics... If they think they have what it takes to win 2023 presidency, let them they their luck instead of sabotaging/blackmailing others

Don't mind IPOBians. Lazy, incompetent, politically inept and cowardly blackmailer who always want to reap where they lazily failed to sow. Joke.

It's Osinbanjo, even though I am not a big fan of Tinubu he is the second option.


Arewa is already referring to Tinubu as Mr President though he might decide to bury his ambition for Osinbanjo.

Obviously Presidency is going to the West.
Case close.
ces't fini!!

seunmsg:



I think he is a mixture of Kanuri and Nupe.