Senator Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna congressman, has cautioned northern leaders to abandon their plans to topple President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. He warned that such a move could damage the country’s unity.
Sani delivered the warning during an appearance with Arise Television on Thursday.
Instead of attempting to obtain greater political power, the former legislator advised northern leaders to participate in the Tinubu administration’s initiatives and programmes that will benefit Nigeria’s northern region.
Senator Sani stated, “There is evidence of a rallying of forces.” Political groups in the North are regrouping in an attempt to use former President Buhari as a rallying point to depose Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s government. “And they want to resurrect his political chances in the house of the masses by portraying the government as one that has been undermining the North and failing to live up to its campaign pledges to the region, despite the fact that it receives the most votes from there. “And I must warn you that attempting to do so can lead to major problems for our country.
“And I must warn you that attempting to do so can lead to major problems for our country. “Buhari has been in charge for eight years, and no serious southerner has pushed his own government to remove him from office.
“Secondly, we should understand that before we consider about power, we should think about the entire country. We should envision a united, peaceful country.Nigeria remains an unstable nation.”What happens if southern politicians decide to unite and declare that this is their position? There will be no Nigeria.
“So, in the interests of the country’s unity and future, they should set aside their own ambitions at least until 2027. “And the North will have the moral right to ask for power after the second term of this administration.” “This desperation for power will not go well for the region, for the unity and collective peace of our country as a nation,” he claimed.
Sani also emphasised the necessity for Northern leaders to address regional issues. Remember that northern Nigeria has been dealing with instability and poverty, among other issues.
Shehu Sani stated, “It is a historical reality that Northerners have held political power for a longer period of time. And that authority provided them with an opportunity to develop the region by addressing issues of insecurity, education, underdevelopment, and the growing disparity between the rich and the poor.
“But, unfortunately, the power that should have been used in that manner was abused.
“It (the Northern Region) leads in the poverty index but lags behind in industry and many other areas of development.””It’s a serious concern because part of the problem we’re facing in the North today can be traced back to a history of bad governance, corruption, insensitive leaders, and people who should have used their power to develop their own part of the country but were unable to do so.” “As a result, Northern Nigeria has not benefited from power for the time being.
Given that the North has lagged behind in a lot of development indicators, there should have been a concentrated effort to bring development to that region of the country. “But look what we have now.There was so much promise in 2015, eight years before this government took office. There was a lot of hope and optimism that the new administration would address these core concerns, but that did not happen.
“So, power should be beneficial to the public. In the North, power should confront poverty and instability. It should address development challenges rather than enriching a small group of people who are only parasites on the country’s economy.
Meanwhile, Shehu Sani stated that the Tinubu administration should implement restructuring, which will provide a structural chance for Nigerians to address underdevelopment issues. He went on to say that it would allow the North to “return home and see what it can do with its resources to address the problem that it has been facing for more than a decade or two.”
On how to resolve the North’s concerns, Sani stated, “I believe that what is required is for the region itself to key into this administration’s policies and programmes, to see how those policies and programmes can be used to address the problems that we face.”
“Fortunately, the security forces are led to some part by Northerners. The National Security Adviser is from the North, as is the DG DSS, and there are some northerners who work in one or two positions.
“So, I believe it is an opportunity to provide them with all of the necessary support at this time to address these insecurity issues, as the North suffers more than any other region.” “The North accounts for roughly 70% of Nigeria’s landmass and the majority of the country’s population because it is more densely inhabited than the south.”All that should have happened is that when people from the North get power, they should prioritise places where intervention is required.
“It’s not simply appointing northerners to office but addressing problems which the North is facing,” Shehu Sani said.
In Essence
Sani advises Northern leaders to focus on collaborating with the current administration rather than seeking to undermine it.
This strategy could help address the significant challenges facing the Northern region and it could also go wrong.
