Yazid Saleh CAN AN IGBO MAN BE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA SOON? By Jasper Azuatalam from Imo state (A must read for all Igbos) Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is a game of number and the number that matters is the number of eligible voters. In Nigeria, the presidential election is the election that produces the president of the Federal republic of Nigeria. The election takes place in all the 36 states in Nigeria, including the FCT. Nigeria is divided into North and South and then six (6) geopolitical zones with their different numerical strength. There are 3 zones in the North and 3 zones in the south. Here are the zones with the numerical strength of eligible voters North West, 18,900,543 (Jigawa 1,852,698, Kano 5,135,415, Katsina 2,931,668, Kaduna 3,565,762, Kebbi 1,603,468, Sokoto 2,065,508, Zamfara 1,746,024) North central, 7,675,369 (Benue 1,415,162, Kogi 1,215,405, Kwara 1,115,665, Nassarawa 1,224,206, Niger 721,478, Plateau 1,983,453) North east, 10,038,119 (Adamawa 1,714,860, Bauchi 1,835,562, Borno 2,730,368, Gombe 1,266,993, Taraba 1,308,106, Yobe 1,182,230) Total for the whole North = 36,614,031 representing 55% of total eligible voters in Nigeria South West, 14,298,356 (Lagos 6,247,845, Ogun 1,869,326, Osun 1,293,967, Ondo 1,558,975, Ekiti 750,753, Oyo 2,577,490) South east, 7,028,560 (Abia 1,481,191, Anambra 1,758,220, Enugu 1,301,185, Imo 1,611,715, Ebonyi 876,249) South South, 8,937,057 (Edo 1,412;225, Delta 1,900,055, Bayelsa 472,389, Akwa Ib 1,714,781, RIvers 2,419,057, C/Rivers 1,018,550) Total for the whole of South = 30,263973 this represents 45% of the total eligible voters in Nigeria. The figures above show that for the South east (Igbo) to produce the president, they need a political alliance with the North and or the South West. The North seems to be the only zone that can emerge the president without a political alliance, with 55% of eligible voters, but that will not be possible, except in a Re-Run election since one need to win in at least 2/3 of the states to become president in a normal presidential election. The figures show that the South cannot produce the president without a political alliance with the North, even in a Re-Run election since it has only 45% of the total eligible voters. History has shown that the South West and the North have been in a political alliance severally and that has given rise to Nigerian presidents from the South West and North. It is high time the Igbos (South east) understood that we need a political alliance to produce a Nigerian president from the Igbo extraction. It Is worthy to note that the Igbos have done badly in striking a political truce over time and that explains the reason there has not been a Nigerian elected president of the Igbo extraction. Presently, there seem to be a political alliance between the North and south west that have 50,912,387 eligible voters out of the total 66,878,004 registered voters in Nigeria representing 76% of eligible voters in Nigeria. Where are the Igbos? What is our political calculation? What is our strategy? The best way to satisfy the yearning of the Igbos is to strike a truce and become part of this political alliance; else we continue to be political orphans that are always at the wrong place. I chose not to mention any political party hoping that the wise ones will use their teeth to count their tongue. The key is a political alliance and the Igbos will need to shun arrogance that have not paid over a long time to consider their political fate and take the right decision devoid of sentiment and hate. You cannot hate a man that holds you fate, If you do, you will remain in your disadvantage and never achieve your goal. God bless the Igbos! God bless Nigeria
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:48:23 +0000