A recent roundtable meeting of key northern stakeholders concluded with the North threatening to withdraw its support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) unless the party allows the North to produce the National Assembly (NASS) leadership and demands a fair share of ministerial and other appointments. The meeting, entitled “Nation Building and Democracy: The Perspective of Northern Nigeria” was organized by the Democratic Research Institute (DRI) and drew participants from all the nineteen Northern states.
The communique issued at the end of the meeting emphasized that the North produced the highest percentage of votes that produced the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and should be rewarded accordingly, or the North will be left with no option but to withdraw its support for the party in subsequent elections. The table contained in the communique showed that the North contributed 63.5% of the votes in the 6 geo-political zones, with the Northwest zone providing a total of 2,652, 235 votes, the North Central 1,742,993, and the North East 1,185,458.
The communique further stated that the North’s demand for the leadership of the National Assembly was non-negotiable since the North was not in control of both the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government. Additionally, the North demanded a fair share of ministerial and other appointments, taking cognizance of competence, integrity, and track record; otherwise, the region would have no option but to de-invest its support for the government and the party in subsequent elections.
The welcome address delivered by Prof. Al-Mustapha Ussiju Medanar stated that the central objective of the Roundtable discussion was to highlight and deepen the conversations around the roles and the place of the Northern region in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and fostering nation-building through key players and partners of the region, among others.
The Roundtable concluded that the northern region of the country is a uniquely indispensable part of the nation, Nigeria. The region consists of approximately 68.67% of the population of Nigeria and is the sole sustenance of the country agriculturally.
The decision to hold this Roundtable was a response to the current political situation in the country and the preparation for the promulgation of the 10th National Assembly, particularly its leadership. The North aims to avoid the crisis of misrepresentation of its people and region in the distribution of rewards for political participation in the 2023 general elections, especially the presidential election, and to hold all political office holders responsible for the job they are expected to carry out in the incoming administration.
The North is calling for the APC to give the region a fair share of the NASS leadership and ministerial posts to reflect the significant role played by the North in the party’s success in the just-concluded elections. Failure to do so would result in the North withdrawing its support for the party in subsequent elections
