Kwankwaso: Yar’adua’s death caused confusion over zoning, explains APC negotiation

Rabiu Kwankwaso, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has stated that the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua created confusion over the issue of power rotation between Nigeria’s North and South.

Kwankwaso, in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, argued that the decision to give the 2027 presidential ticket to the South is the only way to resolve the ongoing confusion surrounding the rotation arrangement.

“We believe the best way to go now is to take it to the South so that we can eliminate the confusion, the confusion that emanated from the death of our brother, our friend, Umar Musa Yar’adua. That actually introduced the confusion into the system,” Kwankwaso said.

The former Kano State governor explained that Yar’adua’s untimely death in 2010, while he was still in office, left a lasting effect on the power-sharing arrangements. Yar’adua, a northerner, was succeeded by his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, from the South, who completed Yar’adua’s term and later won his own term in 2011.

Kwankwaso admitted that the zoning issue has led to different interpretations depending on where the starting point is calculated. “One can argue that from 1999 to date, the South has done more years than the North. But it depends on how it suits you,” he said.

Kwankwaso added that the NDC had decided to count from the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, which will mark the end of eight years of northern rule, thus ensuring that the next presidency should go to the South.

“What worked now is counting from Buhari. Anybody from the South on that side of the argument would say that Buhari had eight years and the South is now doing its first term. In the next one year or so, it will be four years,” Kwankwaso explained.

While discussing his decision to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South, Kwankwaso stressed that northern leaders who moved to the NDC supported the decision without opposition, as unity within the party was more important than engaging in a prolonged debate over the zoning arrangement.

“Almost all of us joining from the north, we accepted. There is no point in fighting,” Kwankwaso said, adding that the zoning debate was overshadowing more pressing concerns about Nigeria’s leadership quality.

“What is key now is not presidency from the North or the South. What is key is to have quality leadership, people who are enthusiastic, determined, and committed to give the country the leadership it deserves,” he concluded.

On APC Negotiations: No Agreement Reached, We Wanted a Genuine Alliance

Kwankwaso also addressed the talks he had with the All Progressives Congress (APC), explaining why the negotiation fell apart. He dismissed the rumors and clarified that there was never a formal agreement with the APC.

“You are just talking of rumors,” Kwankwaso said. “At stage way collectively as Kwankwasiya, we decided from NNPP to talk to everybody. At that time, we were open to discussions, but there was never an agreement between us and APC. If they had agreed to work with us, we would have brought in our manifesto and all.”

He emphasized that the NDC, unlike the APC, was focused on building a political coalition that would work for the people and not just engage in politically motivated alliances. “We cannot just join somebody to go there and mess up ourselves,” Kwankwaso said, reiterating that the focus was on uniting for meaningful political change, and not just playing party politics.