Good People, Nigeria should modify its constitution and adopt a rotational presidency. From all indicators, we need a new plan because the current model is not working. How do I know? Evil could be good, and good could be evil, depending on who is benefiting? With lack of consistency in our moral fibers, I do not see how any human can unite Nigerians to a mission. And if that is the case, we need to look for alternatives.

As things stand, we’re focusing on tribal strategies and supremacy over national competitiveness. And the nation called Nigeria is fading because of it. Sure, rotational presidency will not solve all the problems, but at least, it creates a spirit of equity so that people will know they belong. But if you continue with what we call “politics”, the inconsistencies in the judicial ruling injects huge risks to Nigeria’s economic viability.

In 1999, a mere embellishment in CVs was enough to dethrone the Senate President and Speaker of the House. Today, do you think that is possible? A few years later, a guy was disqualified for winning a House seat as a corps member (NYSC) member. Today, a minister is combining a ministerial job with NYSC.!

In the European Union, they have rotational presidency even as tribes and nations do whatever they want. With that, Iceland with its strong 400k people can breathe from France and Germany. I think each of the geopolitical zones in Nigeria is much larger than most nations in the EU. We need to create this rotational thing and diminish the impact of tribes in our national politics, if we do hope for people to really pay attention to Nigeria.

That rotational presidency should come with fiscal federalism. That way, we can push ourselves to innovate and thrive.

Comment on Feed

Comment 1: A certain Professor Durojaiye wrote a book advocating for a presidential council of 6, each member of the council coming from a geopolitical zone, with rotational presidencies for 2 years each among each of them, and the other 5 will control other critical pillars of the nation like the military, economy, oil and gas, works etc.
One thing is certain. We need to rethink how our we are structured so the idea of tribe gets diminished.

I watch people make an excuse for absolute criminality because of tribal factors.
We can’t continue like this.

Comment 2: Rotational presidency should be ceremonial only. Let their be a federalism with autonomous regional government and a functional Prime Minister for administrative purposes.

My Response:That is the point. It should be ceremonial as they do it in Europe

Good People, Nigeria should modify its constitution and adopt a rotational presidency. From all indicators, we need a new plan because the current model is not working. How do I know? Evil could be good, and good could be evil, depending on who is benefiting? With lack of… pic.twitter.com/HunQZnJGAW

— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) October 6, 2023

I have passed the age to be afraid. But if you read closer, I wrote “fiscal federalism”. That is another way of saying regional governments with ceremonial rotational “presidents”.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar held an international press conference on Thursday in response to the Chicago State University’s sworn deposition, which revealed that President Bola Tinubu submitted a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in June 2022.

Speaking on the outcome of the deposition, which has put the credibility of the Nigerian leadership in the spotlight, Atiku said Nigerian institutions need to up their game in checking the authenticity of certificates presented by political office holders.

“The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere,” he said.

Defying calls from the quarters of All Progressive Congress (APC) to back off his push to unravel the truth about Tinubu’s educational credentials, Atiku said: “Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it.”

He added that the fight is not personal, but rather it is a quest for the enthronement of truth, morality, and accountability in our public affairs. He therefore called on well-meaning Nigerians, including Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP, to join him in the “campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and our government.”

Read the full text of Atiku’s press conference below:

Being text of a press conference by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar (GCON), Waziri Adamawa, Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023), at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre on the 5th of October 2023.

Protocol

Gentlemen of the Press, Fellow Citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I consider it important to address and report to you today on issues that define the future of elective government and legitimate leadership in our country.

Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and the country.

For this purpose, my generation worked hard to return the soldiers to the barracks and to defend the right of the people to elect and establish for ourselves a legitimate government. Our elections are established and governed by law and founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.

The people look up to us as leaders to respect these rules and, where necessary, to defend them. This is what brings us here.

Today, we are called upon again as a people to uphold and defend the ground rules of elective government in our country. The constitution prescribes the requirements for those who seek the highest elective office in the land.

It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office.

We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons. The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere.

I am a democrat by conviction and a citizen of a country that I love. The issues at stake in this case require us once more to re-dedicate ourselves to both the country and our constitution.

Now, we entrust these facts to us all as citizens and as leaders of the institutions charged with interpreting our constitution. I should thank the lawyers both in Nigeria and in the United States, who have assisted us in bringing clarity and definitive answers to these issues that appear to have defied our institutions for nearly a quarter of a century. I also want to extend my gratitude to Nigerian citizens and friends of Nigeria both within and beyond the shores of our country for their patience as we have sought to find the facts and establish the truth.

I wish to pay tribute to the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, who inspired us on this path of discovery. Now, he can truly rest in peace in the assurance that what he started about 23 years ago has come to fruition. Gani’s vindication today gives credence to the saying that no matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will someday overtake it.

Former American President Thomas Jefferson once said, “If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the latter”. From exposing the Watergate scandal and unraveling the dubious certificates of politicians, journalists have maintained eternal vigilance by bridging the gap and stepping in when other arms of government failed.

It is for these reasons that commendation must be given to David Hundeyin, an independent journalist whose extraordinary work, and those of many more young people like him has become a source of inspiration. Special thanks must be given to the millions of Nigerian youths and citizen journalists too who continue to put out the truth online even when no one is listening. Indeed, the price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance. They have put the country first in their firm commitment to unravel the truth and hold leaders accountable. This gives me the hope that we have worthy partners in the struggle to reclaim the country we call home.

This quest is not for or about Atiku Abubakar. It is a quest for the enthronement of truth, morality, and accountability in our public affairs. In line with this, therefore, I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, our political leaders, and in particular, Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP and, the leaders of every political party in Nigeria, and, indeed, every single person who loves this country, as I do, and who wishes nothing but the best for the country, as I do, to join me in this campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and in our government. This is a task for each and every one of us.

Thank you for listening. May God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.