If Pres Buhari must resign, the interest of his associates that labored to bring him to power must be accomodated- Doyin Okupe

Friday, 5 May 2017

In a piece titled "Buhari's Health : Matters Arising" which he shared on his Facebook page, former spokesperson to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, says that if president Buhari must leave office before the end of his tenure due to his illhealth, then the interest of his political associates who worked tirelessly to bring him into office must be accomodated.



Okupe in his piece advised that the presidential candidates for the 2019 presidential election should come from the North West or the North.

According to Okupe, since 1999 when Nigeria became a democratic government, Southerners have ruled the country for 14 years while Northerners have ruled for only 4 years.

 Read his piece below...

I am not a supporter of President Buhari and perhaps never will be one. However in spite of his present situation I believe he meant well for the Nation and perhaps may have achieved more if things were different.

I feel embarrassed when I read what some Nigerians write and say about the sick President. Some outrightly deride him, wish him dead as if they themselves are not human.

Sickness and ill Health many times are not things you can blame individuals for and certainly not deride them about. Both young and old do fall ill and death certainly is not exclusively restricted to the old, or young, or rich, poor or powerful.

Presidents are humans with feelings. They have wives, they are also people's fathers, uncles and relatives. That is why it is gross immorality to wish Public figures and leaders dead publicly.

Asking Buhari to resign may be the ideal but it is neither simple nor straight forward, in a country as complex and convoluted politically as Nigeria.

Since 1999, under our new democratic dispensation and in a space of about 18years the South has been President for approximately
14years and the North only 4years.

This calls for sensitive and careful navigation and negotiation to uphold equity, justice and fairness, if our country must maintain political stability, without which our Nation can hardly make progress.

If President Buhari must exit his associates and allies who have laboured with him to get him to the pinnacle of his career need to be taking into very serious considerations and their Interests which most likely will be based on a shared vision with the ailing President need to be accommodated for the remaining period of his scheduled 4year term.

In 2019, the candidates for the presidency should come from the same zone, that is NorthWest or any other zone in the entire North if that is what is agreeable to the northern geopolitical zones.

This type of political concession is not all together new to our politics. In 1998, because of the perceived injustice to the people of the southwest, the Political class resolved through an unprecedented concessionary arrangement to allow only the southwest to present presidential candidates so that " head and tail" the southwest will produce the President. It was not constitutional but it was also not legislated. It was politically right and expedient and it brought the country together.

We must desist from wrongfully using death and unforeseen happenstance to cheat ourselves politically or administratively.
There are too many things foundationally wrong with our country, it's politics and administration.
Only honesty, sincerity of purpose,genuine love for one another, fairness and equity can make us get to the promised land together and peacefully.