Akahi News (www.akahinews.org) reports that a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that the death of former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua threw the nation’s delicate power rotation arrangement into a tailspin. Akahi News learnt that the former Kano State governor made the revelation while defending his party’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. But is the North truly ready to let go? That is the question on the lips of many political watchers this season.

Speaking during a monitored interview on Monday, Kwankwaso did not mince words. He insisted that the confusion which began with Yar’Adua’s untimely exit in 2010 has never truly been resolved. “We believe the best way to go now is to take it to the south so that we can eliminate the confusion… that emanated from the death of our brother, our friend, Umar Musa Yar’Adua,” he said. Akahi News gathered that the late president’s death mid-tenure created a political puzzle that still haunts the zoning debate nearly 16 years later.

The Unfinished Mandate That Shook the North-South Balance

Yar’Adua, an indigene of Katsina State, was elected in 2007. But he died in office in May 2010 after a prolonged illness, completing less than one term. His deputy, Goodluck Jonathan from the South, took over, finished the tenure, and then won a fresh mandate in 2011. For many Nigerians, that sequence felt like the South grabbed an extra turn. But was that fair? Or was it simply the hand of fate?

It was alleged that zoning arrangements between the North and South have never been written in stone but rather understood as a gentleman’s agreement. Kwankwaso acknowledged this fluidity, noting that “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.” And therein lies the tragedy. When the rules are not fixed, every election becomes a battlefield of ethnic arithmetic.

Kwankwaso and Obi’s New Political Home

Akahi News had earlier reported that Kwankwaso and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi formally joined the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on May 3, after defecting from the African Democratic Congress amid internal disputes and litigation. At its national convention in Abuja, the NDC officially ratified the decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South. For a party still finding its feet, this is a gamble. But in Nigerian politics, bold moves sometimes pay off.

Why does this matter to the common man in Kano, Port Harcourt or Maiduguri? Because zoning determines who feels represented in Aso Rock. When the Presidency shuffles between North and South, the ordinary citizen expects roads, electricity and jobs. But when confusion reigns — as Kwankwaso puts it — only the politicians dance while the masses watch.

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Zoning: A Sensitive Wound That Refuses to Heal

The zoning principle remains one of the most sensitive issues in Nigerian politics, particularly ahead of presidential elections. Major parties often balance tickets between North and South to maintain political stability. But what happens when a president dies? Chaos. What happens when a deputy from the opposite zone finishes the term? More arguments. Kwankwaso’s intervention is not just political talk — it is a mirror held up to a system built on trust, not law.

One cannot help but ask: will the South ever willingly return power to the North after Jonathan’s tenure? And if the North feels cheated, how long will they wait? These are not child’s play questions. They are the drums of a restless federation. Akahi News (www.akahinews.org) believes that until Nigeria adopts a clear, constitutional rotation formula, every election cycle will resurrect the ghost of Yar’Adua. And that ghost, it seems, is not ready to rest.

As 2027 approaches, all eyes are on the NDC and other parties. Will the South produce the next president? Or will the North demand its pound of flesh? For now, Kwankwaso has spoken. But the common man is still waiting for an answer that goes beyond zoning — an answer that brings food to the table.

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Akahi News (www.akahinews.org) will continue to track the zoning debate and all its implications for the average Nigerian. One thing is certain: the death of a president should not mean the death of fairness. But until the nation agrees on the rules, confusion remains the only constant.