LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA SHOULD DETERMINED BY DEMOCRACY, NOT ZONING
The Arewa Defence League (ADL) firmly rejects the suggestion by Peter Obi that any Southern president elected in 2027 should serve only one term in the so-called "spirit of fairness" to allow a Northern successor. This proposition is not only manipulative but also fundamentally undemocratic.
In a press release to the press in Abuja by Murtala Abubaker President, Arewa Defence League (ADL), The principle of zoning and rotational presidency was weakened when former President Goodluck Jonathan, a Southerner, contested and won in 2011 despite the expectation that power should remain in the North to complete the "North-South rotation" after President Yar’Adua’s death. Since then, the political landscape has evolved, and Nigerians now prioritize competence, credibility, and capacity over regional entitlement. The idea that power must "rotate" artificially restricts democratic choice and is no longer tenable in a modern Nigeria.
A true democracy thrives when citizens freely elect the best candidate, regardless of ethnic or geographical origin. Imposing an arbitrary one-term limit on a Southern president in 2027 undermines the will of the people and suggests that leadership should be determined by regional bargaining rather than performance and popular mandate. If a Southern president performs exceptionally well, why should they be forced out after one term simply to satisfy an outdated zoning arrangement?
The North is home to millions of competent, educated, and politically astute individuals who are fully capable of competing for the presidency on the strength of their ideas and leadership qualities not through backroom zoning deals. The Arewa Defence League believes in a merit-based system where any candidate, Northern or Southern, can contest and win based on their vision for Nigeria, not on artificial rotational agreements.
When political offices are allocated based on regional considerations rather than competence, it breeds mediocrity and weakens governance just like the current situation in the country. Nigeria’s challenges require the best leaders, not those selected merely to fulfill a zoning formula. The call for a one-term Southern president in 2027 is a divisive tactic that reinforces regional distrust rather than fostering national cohesion.
Peter Obi’s statement implies that the 2027 election should be predetermined by regional negotiations rather than a free and fair contest. This is an affront to democracy. The ADL stands for a Nigeria where any qualified candidate can run and win based on their merit, not where political office is traded like a commodity between zones.
The Arewa Defence League dismisses Peter Obi’s proposition as undemocratic, regressive, and inconsistent with the present realities of Nigerian politics. Nigeria must move beyond rotational presidency and embrace a system where leadership is earned, not negotiated. The North is ready to compete on a level playing field, and we call on all Nigerians to reject any attempt to impose artificial term limits or zoning arrangements on the presidency.
