By Emmanuel Ogbeche
There is a lie that has been allowed to fester. It has become a gangrene on the Nigerian political ecosystem.
It is constantly being rehashed by northern hawks and parroted by their lackeys down south. It is that only a northerner can beat another northerner in a general election.
History states otherwise. Nigeria’s constitution also puts a lie to this disconcerting, divisive, malicious and vexatious argument.
The late maverick politician, Moshood Abiola, proved this in 1993 with his Hope ’93 slogan. He defeated a prince of the north, Bashir Tofa, though military adventurers did not allow that election to see full bloom.
With the APC set to conduct its primaries after the PDP had settled for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the chorus of “only a northerner can beat Atiku” is growing strident.
Those who are waxing this dirge, do not for a moment care about equity and inclusion. All that matters to them is power for power sake.
To win a general election and be declared president, a candidate is required to receive a majority of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states.
Now, on a geographical slate, the north has 19 states, and the south, 17. Let’s assume that the APC “gifts” its ticket to Asiwaju Tinubu. Is there a chance that Tinubu will be unable to win the 17 states of the south and get 25% in seven states of the north?
For clarity, some states in the north are more northerner than the others. Will states like Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, 50% of Kebbi, Kaduna, Taraba and Benue and possibly Nasarawa not swing it to a southerner?
Let one not be oblivious of the argument that Atiku is from the north, so they will naturally vote for him. Really? Did Jonathan not defeat Buhari in 2011? Please cut me the slack that it was rigged.
So the APC governors will simply rollover and allow another northerner because he is from their region have a walk in the park when the possibility does exist that they will be emasculated from the power equation?
Well, time, like they say, will tell.
• Ogbeche is the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja chapter.