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Why Southern Political Figures Are Rallying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu And What It Portends To The Present Democracy (Part 1)
By Leye Igbabo
It is no longer news that there are monotonous yet continuous massive defections from every opposition party to the ruling APC and people have begun to wonder what exactly is driving them to a government which many view, as underperforming.
Some have adduced stomach infrastructure as reasons for the repetitious defections, and some attributed it to the selfish desires of the defectors to pursue inordinate political ambitions.
While these reasons may not be wrong entirely, the major reason that the political figures especially from the southern extraction, are decamping to the APC is to rally round one of their own, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
And you would want to ask how and why?
The North has portrayed itself as the main decider of the Nigerian Presidency and has been wielding control on where and who becomes the President of Nigeria from the days of John the Baptist. They did not only DECIDE which part of the country takes the slot, they also DETERMINE who takes it from that particular area, especially whenever they choose to allow any Southern Nigerian to have a taste of it.
So, in the build up to the 2023 General Elections, the North had decided to retain the presidency, notwithstanding that it was the one which held it for eight consecutive years in the person of late President Mohammodu Buhari. This was to demonstrate its stance as the almost incontestable allocator of power in the nation Nigeria, to whomever that pleases it.
But the table turned! Their strategy failed them and they saw Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu dribble them to power against their wish!
Relying on the oneness, absolute loyalty and obey-the-last-order strategy of the Northern Oligarchy, they are yet to recover from the rude shock of the time, seething and wondering how the Jagaban of Borgu manipulated the hitherto impenetrable monolithic Northern System to his favor, making him the first Southern Nigerian to attain the Presidency without the usual nod of the Northern Oligarchy!
And since then, the North has not rested for a moment re-designing and re-strategizing on how to return power holding to themselves.
You remember the position of the almighty Haman in Esther 5:13 where he said nothing mattered to him so long as he was still seeing the poor Mordecai at the king’s gate?
So it doesn’t matter what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does to lift up the North, they would NEVER be satisfied because of the main fact that they have now been demystified to the effect that any serious person can attain the presidency without any major input from the North! This is unacceptable to it.
While the seeming poor performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may serve as an added opportunity to make the agenda seem patriotic, the main agenda of the North right now, is to ultimately return itself to the original position of the allocator of the Nigerian Presidency. Nothing matters to the North aside this!
And trust an average original omo Yoruba with their native intelligence. The President clearly observed the uncooperative attitude of the Northern elite and their unfriendly stance towards his second term bid, and then decided to up his game by whatever strategy that suits the prevailing circumstances, in order to circumvent the “evil” agenda of the North.
He believed that if he, as a presidential aspirant and later the party’s candidate, could have his way to the presidency without the nod of the Northern Oligarchy, would it not be a slap on his face as a sitting President with enormous power, if he allows, either by commission or omission, the North to regain its unelected position as the main allocator of the Nigerian Presidency?
And sincerely, this is politics which is all about a game.
So what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is presently exploring ,is not witch-hunting of the political figures as widely believed. He is not employing the agencies of Government such as the EFCC, ICPC, CCB to intimidate those who are decamping. Far from it. He is only exploring and exploiting the age-long ethno-regional sentiments and beliefs, to achieve his own “selfish” political desires!
Majorly, he is simply employing the political strategy of MORAL PERSUASION to let his southern kinsmen know or believe that the struggle for power is no longer for him alone to retain the presidency for a second term (afterall, he could kowtow the usual line of subservience to the North to get it) but that no longer should a Southern Nigerian, majorly depend or solely rely on the Northern Oligarchy to attain the presidency of a nation that belongs to all.
He whispered to their ears that the struggles for southern political emancipation should therefore be a collective one that must transcend any political leanings if the South is to make any headway within the country’s already tilted political system in favour of the North.
And the card is working seriously.
Under this Moral Suasion Scheme, every first-time Governor irrespective of his political platform, would have his second term slot, sealed and delivered without the President’s usual undue interference and influence of the electoral process to favour his party’s candidates while the outgoing two-term governors would have a major say in their own Government of Southern Presidency!
The outcome of the just concluded Anambra abracadabra gubernatorial election where Gov. Soludo had a sweeping victory, is indeed part of the deal. Under the package, no first term governor would lose his second term bid, no matter the platform he intends to pursue the ambition.
So whether or not, the Osun State APC gives the incumbent PDP Governor Ademola Adeleke unfettered access to the “progressive” fold, his second term as the Governor of Osun State under the Scheme, is a fait accompli!
And getting return tickets for any defected legislators at any level, may also be an unintended but inevitable outcome of the Scheme!
You remembered when legislators also got this type of luck in 2015 during Gen Mohammodu Buhari’s coming with his “Change Mantra”?
So whenever you see a whole political structure of any particular party packing all its bag and baggage to land in the APC, it is not the issue of stomach infrastructure that is essentially driving them to APC, neither is it because they see APC performing, but the reason so many political figures are falling head over heels to have their place in the APC fold, is largely to give the relevant support and solidarity to one of their own who is believed to be leading a major political emancipation!
And so, we will still see so many people from different opposition political parties moving towards the APC for this all-important purpose, and in anticipation of the realization of their own selfish electoral victories, as a byproduct of the main agenda! A few defections from the northern region of the country may as well be a fallout from the theory of “if you can’t beat them, then you join them”
But is it really for the selfish political desires of the President as I had mentioned above or there is more to gain from the situation?
The answer is: the President may likely get his “selfish” political desires from the process by having his second term ambition realized, as the immediate gain but the larger benefits will surely be upon all Nigerians especially, the southern people of Nigeria who will no longer depend solely on the nod of the Northern oligarchy to attain the presidency of a nation we all call our own!
And this is the reason one should no longer worry about the ceaseless defections because it seems the agenda is becoming a collective agenda of Southern Nigeria that must get the support of all southern Nigerians of different political inclinations.
And unless there emerges another strong opposition party after the comatose conditions of the present opposition parties, and which is ready and intentional in fielding a strong southerner, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is almost on his way to his second term in office as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
But will the North which is about to be completely demystified, fold its arm to allow this to happen to them and not fight back?
To be continued….
Leye Igbabo writes from Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State
November 11, 2025.
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