At the Arewa House in Kaduna on Friday, hundreds of people from the North threatened to stop supporting the administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) unless the North was given control of the National Assembly and other ministerial appointments.
The Democratic Research Institute (DRI) hosted a one-day round table on nation building and democracy with the theme, “The imperative of participation, equity, and equitable development of Northern Nigeria.”
The Northerners emphasized that their demand was non-negotiable because the North did not control both the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government in the communique signed by Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, Chairman of the Communique Committee, and Dr. Benjamin Izra Dikki, Secretary.
“In a table in the communiqué that showed the percentage of votes cast in each of the six geopolitical zones, the Northwest zone received 2,652,235 votes, the North Central zone received 1,742,993, and the North East zone received 1,185,458 votes.The North’s overall contributions were 63.5%.
The communique stated that 25.7% of the votes for the ruling APC came from the South-West, 9.10% from the South-South, and 1.45% from the South-East.
The message says:
The roundtable, which included representatives from all 19 Northern states, reached the following conclusion based on the contributions made by the North in the recently completed General Elections, which is shown in the table above: “The progress, transformation, and development of the region is hinged on its stake in government, particularly access to political, economic incentives, and opportunities, and therefore resolves as follows:”
“Require the National Assembly to be led in accordance with section 14’s provisions and subsections (1), (2), and (3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This is essential because neither the Executive nor the Judicial branches of government are under the control of the North.This demand cannot be modified.
As for ministerial and other appointments, the North also wants a fair share. The region would be forced to withdraw its support for the government and the party in subsequent elections if such appointments did not take competence, integrity, and track record into consideration.
Earlier, Prof. Al-Mustapha Ussiju Medanar gave a welcome speech in which he stated that the main goal of the Roundtable discussion was to highlight and deepen the discussions surrounding the roles and the place of the Northern region in fostering nation building in Nigeria and strengthening its democracy through key players and partners of the region, among others.
He stated: “For me, it is a privilege to be a participant in this preparation for an all-inclusive recognition of the place of northern Nigeria in the Nigeria calculations and the veritable focus on the equitable development of northern Nigeria.”
The topic of today’s discussion, “Nation Building and Democracy: The Imperative of Participation, Equity, and Equitable Development of Northern Nigeria,” is crucial to resolving the sociopolitical issues that the Nigerian north as a whole is currently facing.
“The main goal of this Roundtable discussion is to highlight and deepen discussions around the roles and the place of the Northern region in fostering nation building and strengthening Nigeria’s democracy through key players and partners of the region, among others.”
“I must state unequivocally that Nigeria’s northern region, which is made up of the North-West, North Central, and North-Eastern states, respectively, is a particularly essential component of the country. The area is home to roughly 68.67% of Nigeria’s population; it provides all of the nation’s agricultural needs and, thanks to providence, has continued to play a significant role in the nation’s political development since independence.
The northern region, which has been a pillar of strength for the nation on many fronts, has successfully utilized its diverse endowment in population and various capacities to benefit the nation.
“It is truly an honor for me to welcome everyone here, including the panelists, discussants, and chosen guests from the northern Nigerian States. In order to ensure the equitable development of our beloved region, I am confident and certain that we will have a very lively discussion and tailored solution.
The choice to host this Roundtable was made in response to the nation’s current political climate and efforts being made to promulgate the 10th National Assembly, particularly with regard to its leadership. The need to accept a common ground to hold all political office holders accountable for the job they are expected to carry out in the incoming administration in order to avoid the crisis of misrepresentation of our people and region in the distribution of rewards for political participation in the general elections of 2023, particularly the presidential election.
“We must keep in mind that our region contributes more than any other, playing a significant role in the current political landscape, including the victories of the ruling party at the polls, and as such, the region would rightly deserve and ask for commensurate rewards from the spoils of the war fought,” the author writes.
Voting is an investment, just as democracy is. In a democratic system of government, the party with the most votes wins outright. Since we are fully aware of this, we have made significant investments in the incoming administration. Our testimony is the volume of our votes and the consistency of our supporters in what we stand for across the region. The numbers don’t lie; of the 8,794,726 million votes cast, 5,200,589 million—or roughly 60%—came from our region, giving the president-elect the victory. And for each Senator and HOR member elected on the platform of the winning party, the gap between their votes and those of the president-elect from each constituency was minimal; this shows complete dedication to the party’s overall cause, unlike in some other areas.
The North is aware of its issues and difficulties, which is why it has invested so much in politics to secure the solutions it wants for its people and its region.
“A never-ending sense of insecurity hangs over our region. The consequences of insecurity in all its manifestations have left a trail of poverty, death, and the eviction of people from their homes and a struggle for survival from the North-East to the North Central and splitting to the North-West.
“Our region was the hardest hit by poverty in the nation, accounting for about 65% of all poor Nigerians, according to the statistics. In academic circles, we are frequently referred to as the part of the nation with the lowest level of educational development. The region also has the highest rate of unemployment.
“The plight of our shared region within the larger Nigerian entity will be at the core of all of our discussion today. We must therefore decide what needs to be done in order to reap positive and commensurate rewards for our widespread involvement and investment in Nigeria’s political system. As a region with equity that is significantly higher than 60% of the shared equity of the Nigerian business, we must make a choice.
As part of the plans for an intrinsic discussion, we would hold sectorial pre-discussions on a variety of contemporary issues pertaining to the northern region, following which we would divide into discussion syndicates. The panelists would emerge from the syndicate meetings to present the consensus agreements that would form the cornerstone of the final Position paper, which is the roundtable’s stance.
“We will start a process here today that will continue to expand the region’s reach and influence without endangering that of others within the Nigeria entity; taking what amounts to our input.”
“Today, I’d like to hear your opinions as well as the truth. Your suggestions on how to promote inclusive, equitable development in our region are welcome, as we all owe it to our respective populations and are required to do so by the positions we hold.
