Elections: Time to test truthworthiness of north
The 2023 general elections may be an avenue to test the trustworthiness of the northern oligarchs, voters and elite. The region and its people have shown that they actually hold the yam and knife as Prof. Ango Abdullahi rightly said.
The region enjoys numerical strength which makes it the defacto kingmaker in the country. Losing the region means losing the presidential election. And the candidate of the APC seems to have heavily relied on the region to reach his dream.
The self acclaimed winner of the 12 June, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola gave it all to the north. All his efforts, alignment and reliance on north failed as the elections were annulled by the man he trusted.
In his struggle to claim his mandate and rule the country, the business mogul lost his life. History often repeats itself. 30 years later, another Yoruba man is trusting north for his own ambition just as MKO Abiola did.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Bola Tinubu has seriously looked up to north. He threw his weight behind Muhammadu Buhari while deriding the then president, Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner.
Tinubu ensured that Buhari became victorious twice and he has never for once criticised the president. Of course, Tinubu expects to be rewarded during the 2023 general elections. He has so much trust in the northern region.
Now is the time to test the region and its trustworthiness. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is contesting for the same office and some pan northern elite including Ango Abdullahi are drumming up to make north retain the seat after Buhari.
Will north leave its own son and embrace a southerner, who has done so much for them? Financially, Tinubu has contributed so much to the north. He is always on ground to help the destitute in the region.
He does contribute huge amounts of money to northern victims of flood, fire incidents and others. Whereas he seldom does this to the southern region. He is confident that with northern support, he will win the general elections.
Despite so much criticism from south and from Christian bodies and groups, Bola Tinubu went on to pick a Muslim from north as his running mate. He believes he will be able to convince the northern voters and leaders in the elections.
It is a tactic, which ought to normally work. The voters up there would feel more comfortable since their religion interests are intact. But will they give Bola Tinubu what he wants? Can the conservative north be truly trusted as the elections approach?
The trustworthiness of north is about to show. The 2023 general elections will prove one thing: if it’s necessary to offer so much sacrifice for north. Bola Tinubu has paid his dues. The region can’t have more excuses. He has done what provokes southern region.
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