A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said the death of former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua created confusion in Nigeria’s power-sharing arrangement between the North and the South.
Kwankwaso stated that zoning the presidency to the South in the 2027 general election remained the best way to address the lingering debate over rotational leadership in the country.
He spoke during an interview on Arise Television on Monday while defending the decision of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
According to him, the political arrangement that allowed power to rotate between the northern and southern regions of the country became unsettled after Yar’Adua died in office in 2010.
“We believe the best way to go now is to take it to the South so that we can eliminate the confusion, the confusion that emanated from the death of our brother, our friend, Umar Musa Yar’adua. That actually introduced the confusion into the system,” Kwankwaso said.
Nigeria’s zoning arrangement is an informal political understanding adopted by major political parties to ensure that power rotates between the North and the South in order to promote balance, unity and inclusion in the country’s leadership.
Although the arrangement is not directly stated in the Nigerian Constitution, political parties have often used zoning to reduce regional tensions and maintain stability in the country’s multi-ethnic political system.
Yar’Adua, who came from Katsina State in the North-West, became president in 2007 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. However, he died in May 2010 after battling a prolonged illness, having spent less than one full term in office.
Following his death, then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan from Bayelsa State in the South-South took over as president in line with constitutional provisions.
Jonathan later contested the 2011 presidential election and won a fresh four-year term, a development that generated debate in some northern political circles over whether the North had lost part of its expected turn under the zoning arrangement.
Kwankwaso acknowledged during the interview that different political groups often interpreted the zoning formula in ways that suited their interests.
“One can argue that from 1999 to date, the South has done more years than the North. But it depends on how it suits you,” he said.
Since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, power has alternated between leaders from the South and the North.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State in the South-West ruled from 1999 to 2007, completing two terms in office.
Yar’Adua from the North then took over in 2007 before his death in 2010. Jonathan, who succeeded him, remained in office until 2015.
In 2015, former President Muhammadu Buhari from Katsina State returned power to the North and completed two terms before leaving office in 2023.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from Lagos State in the South-West currently occupies the office after winning the 2023 presidential election.
Kwankwaso said the Nigeria Democratic Congress had decided to use the end of Buhari’s administration as the basis for its zoning calculation.
According to him, Buhari completed eight years in office for the North, while the South under Tinubu is still serving its first term.
“What worked now is counting from Buhari. Anybody from the South on that side of argument would say that Buhari had eight years and the South is now doing its first term. In the next one year or so, it will be four years,” he explained.
The former Kano State governor added that northern politicians who recently joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress accepted the decision to zone the presidency to the South without resistance.
“Almost all of us joining from the North, we accepted. There is no point in fighting,” he said.
Kwankwaso also stressed that while zoning remained important for political balance, Nigeria’s major concern should be the quality of leadership provided to citizens.
He said the country needed leaders who were committed, determined and willing to address the nation’s economic and security challenges.
“What is key now is not presidency from the North or from the South. What is key is to have quality leadership, people who are enthusiastic, determined and committed to give the country the leadership it deserves,” he stated.
Nigeria has continued to face several challenges in recent years, including rising inflation, insecurity, unemployment and economic hardship.
Supporters of zoning argue that it promotes fairness and national unity in a country deeply divided along ethnic and regional lines.
However, critics believe leadership positions should be based strictly on competence and not geographical considerations.
The comments by Kwankwaso come shortly after he and Peter Obi formally joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress on May 3 after leaving the African Democratic Congress following internal disagreements within the party.
At the party’s national convention held in Abuja, the NDC officially adopted the decision to reserve its 2027 presidential ticket for candidates from the South.
The move has already sparked discussions within the political space as parties begin early preparations ahead of the next general election.
For many Nigerians, however, concerns over economic hardship, insecurity and governance may ultimately play a bigger role in determining voter decisions than regional arguments over power rotation.